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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 · can · bowl · rash · drill · plane · wind · hand

  1. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. can — to be able to
  4. rash — a series
  5. hand — in cards
  6. can — a tin
  7. wind — moving air
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. drill — the tool
  10. hand — help
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. kid — to tease
  16. can — a tin
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. kid — child
  19. drill — army training
  20. plane — a tool
  21. rash — hasty
  22. drill — a practice
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. plane — in geometry

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