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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: cold · plane · fan · lash · snap · squash · root · firm

  1. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. plane — in geometry
  3. root — of a plant
  4. snap — to click
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. firm — a company
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. plane — a tool
  12. firm — steady
  13. cold — an illness
  14. firm — decided
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. root — the cause
  17. cold — not warm
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. squash — the sport
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. squash — to crush
  24. root — of a word

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