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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: ground · jam · hide · mouse · plane · lie · current · degree

  1. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. ground — a position
  6. jam — to spread on bread
  7. current — happening now
  8. lie — to recline
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. degree — from a university
  12. current — electric
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. ground — crushed
  15. jam — a tight spot
  16. ground — the earth
  17. degree — temperature
  18. degree — an amount
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. plane — a tool
  21. jam — in traffic
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. current — of water
  24. plane — an aircraft

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