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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: craft · prune · snap · staff · wind · cap · rush · fan

  1. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  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. wind — moving air
  2. cap — of ice
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. staff — employees
  6. craft — boats
  7. wind — moving air
  8. craft — a skill
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. rush — hurry
  12. prune — to trim
  13. snap — to click
  14. prune — to trim
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. staff — employees
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. cap — a hat
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. cap — a lid
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. staff — a stick
  23. fan — a supporter
  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