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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: season · toast · fork · lean · roll · fan · snap · plane

  1. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. plane — a tool
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. toast — bread
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. lean — thin
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. snap — to click
  15. lean — to bend
  16. season — in sport
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. toast — a drink to someone
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. roll — a cake
  23. roll — a list
  24. fork — in a road

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