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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.

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: fall · plane · last · squash · wound · snap · dip · scale

  1. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. scale — size or range
  5. snap — to click
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. last — to go on
  8. last — finally
  9. fall — to drop
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. squash — the sport
  12. squash — to crush
  13. wound — an injury
  14. fall — the season
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. last — final
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. fall — to drop
  21. plane — a tool
  22. dip — to sink
  23. scale — in music
  24. dip — a sauce

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