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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 120 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. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. spring — the season
  6. chip — to eat
  7. dip — to sink
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. spring — a coil
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. snap — to click
  12. bark — to shout
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. rule — a law
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. rule — government
  17. spring — of water
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. chip — for betting
  20. rush — hurry
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. bark — of a tree

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