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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: coach · fan · plane · bat · craft · bear · bound · snap

  1. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  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. bound — obliged
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. bear — the animal
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. craft — a skill
  9. snap — to click
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. plane — a tool
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. bear — the animal
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. bound — tied together
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. bat — the animal
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. craft — boats
  23. bound — certain
  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