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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: suit · leaves · snap · fan · drill · hand · swing · tube

  1. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. When will it ________________ you to start?
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. suit — to fit
  3. drill — a practice
  4. suit — in cards
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. snap — to click
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. swing — in golf
  9. swing — music
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. drill — the tool
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. suit — clothes
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. tube — a container
  17. hand — help
  18. swing — to play on
  19. drill — army training
  20. hand — in cards
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. tube — the underground
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. tube — in a tire

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