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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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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: snap · fall · kick · saw · last · staff · fan · bark

  1. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. staff — employees
  4. last — finally
  5. fall — to drop
  6. fall — the season
  7. staff — employees
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. snap — to click
  10. staff — a stick
  11. kick — in football
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. bark — to shout
  15. saw — the tool
  16. last — final
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. saw — the tool
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. last — to go on
  24. kick — with a leg

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