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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 116 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: land · straw · stand · hand · bore · hide · plane · sharp

  1. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. bore — to drill
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. bore — to tire
  13. sharp — clever
  14. hand — in cards
  15. land — a country
  16. stand — to bear
  17. land — to come down
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. hand — help
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. plane — a tool
  24. land — ground

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