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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: bowl · patient · snap · bark · fan · board · racket · squash

  1. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. squash — to crush
  15. squash — the sport
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. snap — to click
  21. bark — to shout
  22. board — to get on
  23. board — a committee
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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