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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 116 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: rock · content · suit · plane · bear · pound · hide · file

  1. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. When will it ________________ you to start?
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. file — a line of people
  4. suit — in cards
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. content — happy
  8. suit — to fit
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. rock — a stone
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. file — a tool
  14. bear — the animal
  15. suit — clothes
  16. content — the amount
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. plane — a tool
  19. bear — the animal
  20. pound — a weight
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. rock — music
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. file — a document

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