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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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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 · kid · drill · kick · spring · snap · march · cap

  1. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. plane — in geometry
  2. drill — the tool
  3. drill — army training
  4. march — the month
  5. kick — in football
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. march — the month
  8. spring — of water
  9. march — music
  10. spring — the season
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. snap — to click
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. cap — a hat
  15. kid — to tease
  16. drill — a practice
  17. kid — child
  18. plane — a tool
  19. spring — a coil
  20. cap — of ice
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. cap — a lid

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