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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: fan · march · pitcher · pop · bank · board · squash · snap

  1. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. pop — to visit
  4. squash — to crush
  5. pop — music
  6. march — music
  7. bank — for money
  8. bank — of a river
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. snap — to click
  11. squash — the sport
  12. march — the month
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. bank — for money
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. board — a committee
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. board — to get on
  23. pop — soda
  24. march — the month

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