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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.

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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: fan · bulb · snap · land · bat · board · calf · pop

  1. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. land — a country
  6. board — a committee
  7. bat — the animal
  8. land — to come down
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. pop — music
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. pop — to visit
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. snap — to click
  16. pop — soda
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. bulb — for light
  20. land — ground
  21. bulb — for light
  22. board — to get on
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. bat — for baseball

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