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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: snap · lash · kick · ground · spell · current · swing · plane

  1. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — a tool
  2. spell — letters
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. swing — in golf
  5. kick — in football
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. swing — music
  8. current — electric
  9. snap — to click
  10. swing — to play on
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. current — happening now
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. current — of water
  16. ground — the earth
  17. spell — a short time
  18. spell — magic
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. ground — crushed
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. ground — a position

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