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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: kid · saw · plane · degree · spring · jam · hide · lean

  1. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. spring — the season
  3. plane — a tool
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. spring — of water
  7. degree — temperature
  8. spring — a coil
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. degree — from a university
  11. lean — to bend
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. jam — to spread on bread
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. jam — a tight spot
  18. saw — the tool
  19. kid — child
  20. degree — an amount
  21. saw — the tool
  22. jam — in traffic
  23. kid — to tease
  24. lean — thin

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