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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: vault · plane · ground · snap · shower · land · kick · spell

  1. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. plane — in geometry
  4. shower — rain
  5. shower — to wash
  6. vault — a safe
  7. land — ground
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. plane — a tool
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. spell — letters
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. ground — crushed
  15. land — a country
  16. kick — in football
  17. ground — a position
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. spell — a short time
  21. ground — the earth
  22. snap — to click
  23. land — to come down
  24. plane — an aircraft

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