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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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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 · cell · wound · date · rule · hide · kid · firm

  1. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. Have you settled on a ________________?
  20. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  21. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — to rule out
  2. kid — to tease
  3. wound — an injury
  4. firm — steady
  5. cell — in biology
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. firm — a company
  9. plane — a tool
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. rule — a law
  12. date — the fruit
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. cell — a phone
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. wound — an injury
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. kid — child
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. firm — decided
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. rule — government
  24. cell — in a prison

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