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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: wave · bat · lean · board · plane · snap · dip · land

  1. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. plane — a tool
  3. land — to come down
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. board — a committee
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. lean — to bend
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. snap — to click
  14. dip — to sink
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. board — to get on
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. lean — thin
  21. land — a country
  22. bat — the animal
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. land — ground

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