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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 120 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. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. dip — to sink
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. fork — in a road
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. march — music
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. mine — for digging
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. plane — a tool
  18. root — of a word
  19. root — the cause
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. march — the month
  22. march — the month
  23. root — of a plant
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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