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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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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: hand · wind · stem · tube · last · plane · snap · stand

  1. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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. wind — to turn a key
  3. plane — a tool
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. snap — to click
  7. tube — a container
  8. wind — moving air
  9. last — to go on
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. stand — to bear
  12. hand — help
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. stem — to come from
  15. wind — moving air
  16. last — final
  17. hand — in cards
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. tube — the underground
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. last — finally
  24. tube — in a tire

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