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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 116 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. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. firm — decided
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. last — finally
  7. band — a music group
  8. band — a ring
  9. firm — steady
  10. prune — to trim
  11. prune — to trim
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. root — of a plant
  14. plane — a tool
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. last — final
  17. root — the cause
  18. kick — in football
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. firm — a company
  23. last — to go on
  24. root — of a word

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