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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: game · plane · hand · snap · trunk · land · ball · bulb

  1. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. snap — to click
  7. game — a match
  8. land — to come down
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. bulb — for light
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. hand — in cards
  13. hand — help
  14. ball — a great time
  15. land — ground
  16. bulb — for light
  17. ball — a dance
  18. land — a country
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. plane — a tool
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. game — wild animals

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