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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: lean · staff · spell · plane · snap · date · trunk · fine

  1. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. staff — employees
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. lean — thin
  5. date — the fruit
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. spell — a short time
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. lean — to bend
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. spell — letters
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. fine — all right
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. staff — employees
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. staff — a stick
  21. snap — to click
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. plane — a tool
  24. fine — high quality

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