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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: kid · fan · snap · bound · cue · leaves · bark · cap

  1. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. I'll take my ________________ from you.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. cue — for pool
  3. bound — obliged
  4. cap — a hat
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. cue — a signal
  7. cap — of ice
  8. kid — child
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. bark — to shout
  11. bound — certain
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. kid — to tease
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. bound — tied together
  20. cap — a lid
  21. snap — to click
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. cue — a hint

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