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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: arm · tube · rash · kick · snap · fan · fall · fine

  1. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. snap — to click
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. tube — a container
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. fine — high quality
  13. fall — to drop
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. tube — the underground
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. fall — the season
  18. kick — in football
  19. fall — to drop
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. rash — hasty
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. fine — all right
  24. rash — a series

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