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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: current · scale · tube · craft · march · plane · fan · snap

  1. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. march — the month
  3. march — the month
  4. snap — to click
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. craft — a skill
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. scale — in music
  13. plane — a tool
  14. march — music
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. scale — size or range
  17. current — happening now
  18. craft — boats
  19. current — electric
  20. current — of water
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. tube — a container
  23. tube — the underground
  24. plane — in geometry

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