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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: bay · cabinet · saw · field · plane · pop · snap · spell

  1. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. bay — to keep at bay
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. spell — letters
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. spell — a short time
  8. field — farmland
  9. bay — a part of the sea
  10. field — for sport
  11. snap — to click
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. spell — magic
  15. field — a subject
  16. pop — soda
  17. pop — music
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. saw — the tool
  21. pop — to visit
  22. plane — a tool
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. saw — the tool

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