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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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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: fall · season · rest · cue · hide · wind · snap · plane

  1. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. cue — a signal
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. cue — a hint
  5. season — of the year
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. snap — to click
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. fall — the season
  13. fall — to drop
  14. wind — moving air
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. fall — to drop
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. rest — what's left
  19. plane — a tool
  20. cue — for pool
  21. season — in sport
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. rest — what's left
  24. rest — a break

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