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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: fine · wave · snap · cap · mine · lash · plane · land

  1. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. wave — a sudden rise
  3. cap — a hat
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. plane — a tool
  6. cap — of ice
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. land — a country
  10. cap — a lid
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. fine — high quality
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. land — to come down
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. mine — for digging
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. land — ground
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. fine — all right

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