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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: ground · snap · plane · chest · pitcher · fork · tear · toast

  1. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — a tool
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. tear — to rip
  6. ground — crushed
  7. tear — from crying
  8. toast — the most admired
  9. snap — to click
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. fork — in a road
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. chest — of your body
  14. toast — bread
  15. tear — from crying
  16. chest — a box
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. ground — the earth
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. ground — a position
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. chest — of your body
  23. toast — a drink to someone
  24. pitcher — a jug

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