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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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Word bank
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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 spa offers ________________ extensions.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — an eyelash
  2. prune — to trim
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. content — happy
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. prune — to trim
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. plane — a tool
  13. content — the amount
  14. current — electric
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. snap — to click
  17. current — happening now
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. current — of water
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. content — videos and posts

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