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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: plane · spring · cabinet · saw · cue · hand · mate · fork

  1. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  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. plane — a tool
  2. hand — help
  3. hand — in cards
  4. spring — of water
  5. cue — a hint
  6. spring — a coil
  7. saw — the tool
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. mate — a friend
  10. cue — for pool
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. fork — in a road
  14. cue — a signal
  15. mate — to breed
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. mate — a partner
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. saw — the tool
  21. spring — the season
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  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