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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: key · march · snap · shower · fan · root · can · scale

  1. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. can — to be able to
  3. march — the month
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. march — music
  6. can — a tin
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. march — the month
  11. scale — in music
  12. key — the most important part
  13. can — a tin
  14. key — in music
  15. root — the cause
  16. shower — rain
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. shower — to wash
  19. root — of a word
  20. scale — size or range
  21. root — of a plant
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. key — for a lock
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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