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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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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: spring · wound · bowl · stand · snap · plane · wind · row

  1. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. wind — moving air
  3. row — a line
  4. plane — a tool
  5. wound — an injury
  6. stand — to bear
  7. spring — of water
  8. row — to paddle
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. spring — a coil
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. wind — moving air
  16. snap — to click
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. wound — an injury
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. spring — the season
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. bowl — to roll

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