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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. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. saw — the tool
  3. plane — a tool
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. game — wild animals
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. date — the fruit
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. pound — a weight
  12. snap — to click
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. prune — to trim
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. saw — the tool
  20. game — a match
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. prune — to trim
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. pound — for dogs

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