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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: arm · drill · leaves · row · land · fine · snap · plane

  1. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. land — to come down
  3. row — a line
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. drill — army training
  9. drill — the tool
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. drill — a practice
  13. land — ground
  14. fine — all right
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. fine — high quality
  17. land — a country
  18. snap — to click
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. row — to paddle
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. plane — a tool

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