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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 116 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: can · pound · rock · wind · snap · fall · patient · fan

  1. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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. fall — the season
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. can — to be able to
  6. can — a tin
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. pound — a weight
  10. fall — to drop
  11. can — a tin
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. rock — a stone
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. rock — music
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. wind — moving air
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. fall — to drop
  23. wind — moving air
  24. snap — to click

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