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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: band · kid · plane · lie · wind · cabinet · current · court

  1. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. kid — child
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. kid — to tease
  8. plane — a tool
  9. court — of law
  10. current — happening now
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. current — electric
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. wind — moving air
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. band — a music group
  17. court — of a king
  18. court — for sport
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. band — a ring
  21. current — of water
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. wind — moving air
  24. lie — to recline

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com