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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  2. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — in geometry
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. object — a thing
  4. snap — to click
  5. hand — help
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. object — an aim
  8. root — the cause
  9. object — to protest
  10. hand — in cards
  11. root — of a word
  12. plane — a tool
  13. shower — rain
  14. shower — to wash
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. root — of a plant
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. snap — to snap out of it

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