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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: mine · shower · plane · foot · bay · bear · snap · spring

  1. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — to keep at bay
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. foot — a measure
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. shower — to wash
  10. spring — of water
  11. spring — a coil
  12. shower — rain
  13. snap — to click
  14. bear — the animal
  15. plane — a tool
  16. spring — the season
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. mine — for digging
  19. bear — the animal
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. mine — belonging to me

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