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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: rock · pitcher · snap · lean · fan · face · leaves · cap

  1. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. lean — thin
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. rock — a stone
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. snap — to click
  10. rock — music
  11. cap — of ice
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. cap — a lid
  14. face — part of the head
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. face — to point toward
  19. cap — a hat
  20. lean — to bend
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. face — to confront

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