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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 120 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: fall · leaves · mark · spell · snap · pop · shower · plane

  1. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. pop — music
  5. spell — magic
  6. plane — a tool
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. pop — to visit
  9. spell — a short time
  10. snap — to click
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. fall — to drop
  13. spell — letters
  14. shower — to wash
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. mark — a grade
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. fall — the season
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. fall — to drop
  22. mark — a trace
  23. shower — rain
  24. pop — soda

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