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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 · squash · bowl · rest · snap · staff · shower · leaves

  1. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. staff — employees
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. squash — to crush
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. snap — to click
  13. shower — rain
  14. shower — to wash
  15. staff — a stick
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. rest — what's left
  18. squash — the sport
  19. staff — employees
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. rest — a break
  23. rest — what's left
  24. squash — the vegetable

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