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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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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: straw · current · swing · fan · pound · wax · plane · snap

  1. The ________________ took off on time.
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — an aircraft
  2. pound — a weight
  3. snap — to click
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. swing — in golf
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. plane — a tool
  14. wax — to grow
  15. current — happening now
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. current — electric
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. swing — to play on
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. current — of water
  22. swing — music
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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