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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. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. tube — a container
  3. plane — a tool
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. tube — the underground
  6. club — for dancing
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. fall — the season
  11. club — for golf
  12. wound — an injury
  13. snap — to click
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. wound — an injury
  22. fall — to drop
  23. club — a group
  24. fall — to drop

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