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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: snap · mark · pound · wake · spring · plane · fan · last

  1. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. snap — to click
  3. pound — a weight
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. spring — of water
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. last — to go on
  10. mark — a grade
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. mark — a trace
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. spring — a coil
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. last — final
  17. last — finally
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. spring — the season
  22. wake — a trail
  23. plane — a tool
  24. fan — a supporter

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