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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. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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. band — a rubber band
  4. face — part of the head
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. face — to confront
  8. wind — moving air
  9. squash — the sport
  10. fall — to drop
  11. face — to point toward
  12. wind — moving air
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. squash — to crush
  15. snap — to click
  16. fall — the season
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. band — a music group
  19. band — a ring
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. kick — in football
  23. fall — to drop
  24. plane — an aircraft

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