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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. fall — to drop
  6. fall — the season
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. fall — to drop
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. mine — for digging
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. bark — to shout
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. snap — to click

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