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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.

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: squash · ground · mine · plane · snap · bark · land · toast

  1. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  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 — a tool
  2. land — ground
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. ground — a position
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. bark — to shout
  7. toast — a drink to someone
  8. squash — the sport
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. ground — the earth
  12. snap — to click
  13. squash — to crush
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. land — to come down
  18. ground — crushed
  19. toast — bread
  20. land — a country
  21. mine — for digging
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. toast — the most admired
  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