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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: fan · bay · roll · snap · leaves · march · wound · pop

  1. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. bay — a part of the sea
  3. roll — a cake
  4. march — the month
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. roll — a list
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. pop — soda
  11. wound — an injury
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. pop — music
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. pop — to visit
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. wound — an injury
  20. march — music
  21. march — the month
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. snap — to click
  24. leaves — to go away

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