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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 116 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: plane · season · row · bank · pop · snap · hand · spell

  1. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. spell — letters
  4. row — to paddle
  5. plane — a tool
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. season — in sport
  8. season — of the year
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. spell — a short time
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. row — a line
  13. pop — soda
  14. bank — for money
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. bank — of a river
  17. hand — in cards
  18. pop — to visit
  19. hand — help
  20. spell — magic
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. pop — music
  23. snap — to click
  24. bank — for money

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