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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: march · club · fine · snap · rash · plane · hand · can

  1. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. march — the month
  3. snap — to click
  4. fine — all right
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. club — for golf
  9. can — to be able to
  10. hand — help
  11. club — for dancing
  12. can — a tin
  13. club — a group
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. can — a tin
  16. plane — a tool
  17. march — the month
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. fine — high quality
  20. rash — hasty
  21. hand — in cards
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. rash — a series
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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