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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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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. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. club — for dancing
  3. shower — rain
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. present — there
  7. present — the time now
  8. club — for golf
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. mate — to breed
  12. present — a gift
  13. mate — a partner
  14. prune — to trim
  15. mate — a friend
  16. lean — thin
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. lean — to bend
  20. prune — to trim
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. plane — a tool
  23. shower — to wash
  24. club — a group

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