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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. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. mine — for digging
  3. prune — to trim
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. snap — to click
  6. dip — to sink
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. ground — crushed
  9. prune — to trim
  10. ground — the earth
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. ground — a position
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. plane — a tool

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