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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: craft · rest · can · snap · date · fan · pound · lie

  1. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. pound — a weight
  3. craft — boats
  4. rest — what's left
  5. can — to be able to
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. date — the fruit
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. can — a tin
  14. lie — to recline
  15. can — a tin
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. craft — a skill
  18. rest — a break
  19. rest — what's left
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. craft — a handicraft

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