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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.

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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: cell · lie · plane · can · current · hide · game · bulb

  1. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. cell — a phone
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. bulb — for light
  5. can — a tin
  6. lie — to recline
  7. bulb — for light
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. cell — in biology
  11. current — happening now
  12. plane — a tool
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. can — to be able to
  15. game — a match
  16. current — of water
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. game — wild animals
  21. can — a tin
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. game — a kind of play

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