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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: swing · snap · fall · drill · squash · cap · plane · wake

  1. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  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. swing — music
  2. cap — a lid
  3. swing — to play on
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. fall — to drop
  6. fall — the season
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. fall — to drop
  10. squash — the sport
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. cap — a hat
  15. swing — in golf
  16. cap — of ice
  17. snap — to click
  18. drill — army training
  19. drill — a practice
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. wake — a trail
  22. drill — the tool
  23. squash — to crush
  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