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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 120 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 · coach · hide · stick · kid · spring · rash · net

  1. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. stick — to attach or keep to
  3. net — for catching
  4. net — in sport
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. rash — hasty
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. kid — to tease
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. kid — child
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. spring — of water
  18. plane — a tool
  19. spring — a coil
  20. net — after costs
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. rash — a series
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. spring — the season

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