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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: current · shower · trunk · file · dip · kid · bay · plane

  1. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. bay — to keep at bay
  3. shower — rain
  4. file — a line of people
  5. plane — a tool
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. shower — to wash
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. file — a tool
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. current — electric
  14. file — a document
  15. current — of water
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. dip — to sink
  19. current — happening now
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. kid — child
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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