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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: lie · mate · file · spring · rash · hide · key · plane

  1. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. rash — hasty
  4. spring — of water
  5. file — a document
  6. mate — a friend
  7. plane — a tool
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. spring — a coil
  10. key — the most important part
  11. spring — the season
  12. mate — to breed
  13. key — in music
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. lie — to recline
  16. rash — a series
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. file — a tool
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. file — a line of people
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. key — for a lock

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