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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: date · hand · wind · fan · fine · bark · nail · snap

  1. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. date — the fruit
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. fine — all right
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. hand — help
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. snap — to click
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. bark — to shout
  21. fine — high quality
  22. wind — moving air
  23. hand — in cards
  24. wind — moving air

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