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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 · can · press · row · cold · wind · scale · hide

  1. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  2. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — a tool
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. scale — size or range
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. wind — moving air
  7. press — a publisher
  8. press — to push
  9. press — newspapers
  10. can — to be able to
  11. can — a tin
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. scale — in music
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. row — a line
  18. cold — not warm
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. wind — moving air
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. row — to paddle
  23. cold — an illness
  24. can — a tin

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