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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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. You can't go backstage without a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. spring — of water
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. plane — a tool
  9. pass — to spend time
  10. hand — in cards
  11. saw — the tool
  12. saw — the tool
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. snap — to click
  15. spring — the season
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. spring — a coil
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. pass — a permit

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