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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: clip · spell · plane · board · roll · snap · cell · current

  1. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. We're on a ________________ here.
  4. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. roll — on a roll
  4. plane — a tool
  5. clip — to cut
  6. current — electric
  7. spell — a short time
  8. board — to get on
  9. clip — a video
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. current — of water
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. cell — a phone
  15. spell — magic
  16. cell — in biology
  17. spell — letters
  18. roll — a cake
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. roll — a list
  21. board — a committee
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. current — happening now
  24. clip — for paper

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