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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: mine · content · lash · plane · hide · current · pop · arm

  1. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. content — happy
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. plane — a tool
  6. current — electric
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. pop — soda
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. mine — for digging
  14. pop — music
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. current — of water
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. current — happening now
  21. pop — to visit
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. content — the amount
  24. arm — a part of something

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