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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 116 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: lean · snap · plane · land · season · wave · ground · band

  1. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. band — a music group
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. snap — to click
  7. lean — to bend
  8. season — of the year
  9. ground — a position
  10. land — a country
  11. land — ground
  12. ground — crushed
  13. plane — a tool
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. lean — thin
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. season — in sport
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. land — to come down
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. band — a ring
  22. ground — the earth
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. band — a rubber band

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