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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: snap · pitcher · press · pop · plane · wound · bound · land

  1. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. pop — soda
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. land — a country
  6. wound — an injury
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. pop — music
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. pop — to visit
  12. land — ground
  13. press — newspapers
  14. wound — an injury
  15. plane — a tool
  16. snap — to click
  17. bound — obliged
  18. press — a publisher
  19. bound — certain
  20. land — to come down
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. bound — tied together
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. press — to push

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