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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: rest · ball · snap · hand · land · mark · plane · fan

  1. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. rest — a break
  3. land — ground
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. land — to come down
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. plane — a tool
  10. rest — what's left
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. land — a country
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. ball — a dance
  16. hand — help
  17. ball — a great time
  18. hand — in cards
  19. mark — a grade
  20. rest — what's left
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. mark — a trace

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