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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: chip · snap · plane · land · stand · club · wave · spring

  1. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. chip — for betting
  3. spring — of water
  4. club — for golf
  5. chip — to eat
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. club — a group
  9. club — for dancing
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. stand — to bear
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. land — to come down
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. spring — a coil
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. snap — to click
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. spring — the season
  23. land — ground
  24. plane — a tool

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