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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: club · rest · stick · wound · roll · wave · snap · plane

  1. We're on a ________________ here.
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — on a roll
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. wound — an injury
  5. club — for golf
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. club — a group
  9. roll — a cake
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. rest — what's left
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. rest — a break
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. roll — a list
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. snap — to click
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. plane — a tool
  21. club — for dancing
  22. rest — what's left
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. wound — an injury

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