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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 · temple · pound · fan · row · hand

  1. When was this ________________ built?
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. snap — to click
  3. hand — help
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. row — a line
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. pound — a weight
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. row — to paddle
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. hand — in cards
  18. snap — to speak sharply

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