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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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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 · rest · deal · fan · hide · staff · court · prune

  1. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. court — of a king
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. court — of law
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. snap — to click
  9. prune — to trim
  10. staff — employees
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. prune — to trim
  15. rest — a break
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. staff — a stick
  18. court — for sport
  19. rest — what's left
  20. deal — to handle
  21. staff — employees
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. rest — what's left
  24. deal — an agreement

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