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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: hide · leaves · firm · stem · plane · sharp · court · kid

  1. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. kid — to tease
  3. court — of a king
  4. court — for sport
  5. firm — steady
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. stem — to come from
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. firm — decided
  17. plane — a tool
  18. kid — child
  19. firm — a company
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. court — of law
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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