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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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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: pitcher · snap · plane · bore · net · face · spring · ruler

  1. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  6. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — in geometry
  2. spring — of water
  3. snap — to click
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. ruler — a monarch
  7. spring — the season
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. net — for catching
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. face — to confront
  16. plane — a tool
  17. net — after costs
  18. face — part of the head
  19. bore — to tire
  20. bore — to drill
  21. net — in sport
  22. spring — a coil
  23. face — to point toward
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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