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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. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — a tool
  2. snap — to click
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. bass — the fish
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. land — to come down
  10. hand — in cards
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. bass — low music
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. track — a song
  15. stand — to bear
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. track — to keep track
  19. hand — help
  20. track — a path
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. land — a country
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. land — ground

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