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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: can · snap · content · mate · fan · stick · shower · drill

  1. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. drill — the tool
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. snap — to click
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. can — a tin
  10. drill — a practice
  11. mate — a partner
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. mate — to breed
  14. content — happy
  15. mate — a friend
  16. can — a tin
  17. drill — army training
  18. content — the amount
  19. shower — rain
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. can — to be able to
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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