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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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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: kid · staff · rule · season · plane · drill · snap · wound

  1. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. staff — employees
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. snap — to click
  5. drill — a practice
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. season — of the year
  8. kid — child
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. drill — the tool
  11. season — in sport
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. rule — government
  15. wound — an injury
  16. staff — employees
  17. drill — army training
  18. staff — a stick
  19. plane — a tool
  20. rule — a law
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. kid — to tease
  24. wound — an injury

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