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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: plane · lean · rash · bound · game · pass · snap · stick

  1. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. bound — obliged
  3. lean — to bend
  4. pass — to spend time
  5. bound — tied together
  6. pass — a permit
  7. game — wild animals
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. game — a match
  11. snap — to click
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. plane — a tool
  15. bound — certain
  16. rash — a series
  17. rash — hasty
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. lean — thin
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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