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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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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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  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. fan — to cool the air
  2. mine — for digging
  3. stand — for spectators
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. club — for dancing
  11. club — a group
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. prune — to trim
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. stand — to bear
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. prune — to trim
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. club — for golf
  22. snap — to click
  23. arm — a part of something
  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