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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: snap · drill · fan · wind · mouse · pop · bass · hide

  1. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. pop — to visit
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. pop — soda
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. drill — a practice
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. wind — moving air
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. drill — the tool
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. drill — army training
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. bass — low music
  21. bass — the fish
  22. wind — moving air
  23. pop — music
  24. wind — to turn a key

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