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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 116 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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: lash · perch · mine · pop · straw · plane · snap · spell

  1. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. mine — for digging
  3. spell — magic
  4. pop — soda
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. perch — the fish
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. spell — a short time
  11. pop — music
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. plane — a tool
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. spell — letters
  23. pop — to visit
  24. mine — belonging to me

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