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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: wound · snap · land · straw · plane · last · temple · can

  1. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. wound — an injury
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. wound — an injury
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. land — a country
  7. can — a tin
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. snap — to click
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. plane — a tool
  12. land — ground
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. last — finally
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. can — a tin
  18. land — to come down
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. last — final
  23. last — to go on
  24. temple — side of the head

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