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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 124 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: chest · roll · mine · stock · hide · row · deal · plane

  1. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  2. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — a tool
  2. roll — a list
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. row — a line
  6. chest — a box
  7. roll — a cake
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. stock — shares
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. deal — to handle
  14. row — to paddle
  15. mine — for digging
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. stock — goods
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. chest — of your body
  24. chest — of your body

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