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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: bay · leaves · bound · jam · plane · press · kid · hand

  1. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. plane — a tool
  3. hand — in cards
  4. kid — child
  5. press — a publisher
  6. bound — certain
  7. jam — in traffic
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. press — newspapers
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. kid — to tease
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. press — to push
  15. bound — obliged
  16. hand — help
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. jam — a tight spot
  19. bound — tied together
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. jam — to spread on bread
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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