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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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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: row · shower · cap · squash · snap · spring · pass · plane

  1. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. pass — to spend time
  3. squash — the sport
  4. cap — a lid
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. plane — a tool
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. cap — of ice
  9. spring — a coil
  10. squash — to crush
  11. spring — of water
  12. row — a line
  13. shower — to wash
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. cap — a hat
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. shower — rain
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. row — to paddle
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. snap — to click
  23. pass — a permit
  24. spring — the season

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