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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: plane · mine · rash · mouse · date · rest · snap · staff

  1. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. rash — hasty
  3. rest — a break
  4. date — the fruit
  5. plane — a tool
  6. staff — employees
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. snap — to click
  11. staff — a stick
  12. staff — employees
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. rest — what's left
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. rest — what's left
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. rash — a series
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. mine — for digging

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