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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 · snap · coach · current · ground · field · file

  1. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. plane — a tool
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. file — a document
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. field — for sport
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. ground — a position
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. ground — crushed
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. file — a tool
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. current — electric
  17. ground — the earth
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. field — farmland
  20. field — a subject
  21. current — happening now
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. snap — to click
  24. file — a line of people

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