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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 · hide · mate · tube · game · kid · spring · charge

  1. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. game — a match
  3. charge — a price
  4. charge — in control
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. mate — a friend
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. mate — to breed
  9. kid — child
  10. tube — the underground
  11. mate — a partner
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. spring — the season
  14. plane — a tool
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. charge — electricity
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. tube — a container
  20. kid — to tease
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. spring — a coil
  24. spring — of water

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