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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 120 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 · field · kid · bass · current · prune · drill · chest

  1. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. current — happening now
  3. plane — a tool
  4. chest — a box
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. current — of water
  7. prune — to trim
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. kid — child
  11. kid — to tease
  12. bass — low music
  13. field — farmland
  14. drill — army training
  15. bass — the fish
  16. chest — of your body
  17. chest — of your body
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. field — for sport
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. field — a subject
  22. prune — to trim
  23. drill — a practice
  24. current — electric

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