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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: stand · staff · snap · net · bear · file · hand · fan

  1. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. stand — on your feet
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. snap — to click
  5. staff — employees
  6. stand — to bear
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. net — after costs
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. bear — the animal
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. hand — in cards
  14. net — for catching
  15. staff — a stick
  16. file — a document
  17. net — in sport
  18. hand — help
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. file — a line of people
  21. staff — employees
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. bear — the animal

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