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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. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. plane — in geometry
  3. plane — a tool
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. band — a music group
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. bear — the animal
  8. present — a gift
  9. band — a ring
  10. rock — music
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. rock — a stone
  14. bear — the animal
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. bat — the animal
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. present — the time now
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. present — there
  21. wake — a trail
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. snap — to click

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