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

  1. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — a tool
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. pop — to visit
  4. mug — to rob
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. bound — obliged
  8. bound — certain
  9. mug — a face
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. pop — music
  13. kick — in football
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. snap — to click
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. branch — a division
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. mug — a cup
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. bound — tied together
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. pop — soda

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