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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: rush · fan · leaves · court · hand · charge · bark · snap

  1. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. charge — electricity
  4. court — of a king
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. court — for sport
  10. hand — in cards
  11. bark — to shout
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. rush — hurry
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. hand — help
  18. charge — a price
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. charge — in control
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. court — of law
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. fan — a supporter

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