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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: wake · bound · march · rest · cabinet · hand · snap · plane

  1. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — in geometry
  2. march — the month
  3. bound — obliged
  4. bound — certain
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. plane — a tool
  7. bound — tied together
  8. wake — a trail
  9. hand — help
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. rest — a break
  12. snap — to click
  13. march — music
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. march — the month
  19. rest — what's left
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. rest — what's left
  22. hand — in cards
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. plane — an aircraft

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