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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: plane · file · press · spring · rest · wound · mine · craft

  1. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. plane — in geometry
  4. file — a line of people
  5. mine — for digging
  6. file — a document
  7. craft — a skill
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. rest — what's left
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. press — a publisher
  12. wound — an injury
  13. wound — an injury
  14. craft — boats
  15. spring — of water
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. press — to push
  18. file — a tool
  19. rest — what's left
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. plane — a tool
  22. spring — the season
  23. press — newspapers
  24. rest — a break

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