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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: plane · row · bound · saw · kid · current · net · hide

  1. The ________________ took off on time.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — an aircraft
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. saw — the tool
  5. row — a line
  6. plane — a tool
  7. bound — tied together
  8. saw — the tool
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. net — after costs
  11. net — in sport
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. bound — certain
  15. current — of water
  16. bound — obliged
  17. net — for catching
  18. kid — child
  19. current — happening now
  20. current — electric
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. row — to paddle
  23. kid — to tease
  24. hide — animal skin

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