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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: plane · rash · kid · calf · cold · root · hide · chip

  1. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. plane — in geometry
  3. kid — to tease
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. chip — to eat
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. cold — not warm
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. root — of a plant
  14. root — of a word
  15. kid — child
  16. plane — a tool
  17. cold — an illness
  18. root — the cause
  19. rash — a series
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. chip — for betting
  22. rash — hasty
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. calf — of the leg

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