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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 · straw · rush · coach · saw · plane · bat · ground

  1. The ________________ took off on time.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — an aircraft
  2. snap — to click
  3. bat — the animal
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. ground — a position
  8. ground — crushed
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. saw — the tool
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. saw — the tool
  18. ground — the earth
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. plane — a tool
  23. rush — hurry
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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