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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: club · plane · toast · spring · wake · board · snap · fine

  1. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  2. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — a tool
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. toast — bread
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. toast — a drink to someone
  6. club — a group
  7. club — for dancing
  8. fine — high quality
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. toast — the most admired
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. board — a committee
  14. spring — of water
  15. wake — a trail
  16. club — for golf
  17. board — to get on
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. snap — to click
  22. spring — the season
  23. spring — a coil
  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