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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 120 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: bat · fan · fall · branch · fork · arm · ball · snap

  1. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. snap — to click
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. fork — in a road
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. fall — the season
  15. ball — a dance
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. fall — to drop
  19. fall — to drop
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. bat — the animal
  23. ball — a great time
  24. branch — a division

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