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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: snap · foot · field · net · lash · clip · bore · plane

  1. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — in geometry
  2. clip — for paper
  3. field — farmland
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. field — for sport
  10. clip — a video
  11. snap — to click
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. clip — to cut
  14. plane — a tool
  15. bore — to drill
  16. foot — a measure
  17. bore — to tire
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. field — a subject
  20. net — for catching
  21. net — after costs
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. net — in sport

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