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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: bat · snap · pound · stand · plane · charge · mine · file

  1. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. pound — a weight
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. mine — for digging
  7. charge — in control
  8. snap — to click
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. plane — a tool
  12. bat — the animal
  13. stand — to bear
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. file — a document
  18. charge — a price
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. file — a line of people
  21. charge — electricity
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. stand — on your feet
  24. bat — for baseball

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