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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 120 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: cold · root · last · dip · nail · snap · pop · plane

  1. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. pop — music
  3. pop — soda
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. cold — not warm
  8. plane — a tool
  9. last — finally
  10. root — of a word
  11. dip — to sink
  12. last — final
  13. last — to go on
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. cold — an illness
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. root — of a plant
  18. snap — to click
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. pop — to visit
  21. root — the cause
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. nail — for a hammer

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