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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: trunk · land · saw · wave · plane · snap · leaves · bark

  1. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. saw — the tool
  7. land — a country
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. saw — the tool
  12. plane — a tool
  13. bark — to shout
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. land — to come down
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. snap — to click
  20. land — ground
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. leaves — to go away

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