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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 116 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: fan · shower · snap · lean · mate · kid · bay · row

  1. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. My mare is ________________ in color.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. snap — to click
  3. lean — thin
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. shower — to wash
  7. lean — to bend
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. kid — to tease
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. bay — a horse colour
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. row — a line
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. kid — child
  17. row — to paddle
  18. bay — a part of the sea
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. mate — a partner
  21. mate — to breed
  22. mate — a friend
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  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