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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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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: pound · plane · rock · bowl · rush · snap · game · trunk

  1. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. rush — hurry
  4. rock — a stone
  5. pound — a weight
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. rock — music
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. snap — to click
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. game — a match
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. plane — a tool
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. game — wild animals

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