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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: straw · wake · plane · ball · stick · coach · file · kid

  1. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — in geometry
  2. ball — a great time
  3. file — a tool
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. wake — a trail
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. kid — to tease
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. file — a document
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. ball — a dance
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. kid — child
  22. file — a line of people
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. plane — a tool

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