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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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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: fork · bear · fan · kick · fall · snap · pitcher · leaves

  1. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. fall — the season
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. snap — to click
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. fall — to drop
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. fork — in a road
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. kick — in football
  18. bear — the animal
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. bear — the animal
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. kick — a thrill

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