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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: trunk · fall · spring · fan · snap · face · board · hide

  1. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. spring — the season
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. fall — to drop
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. board — a committee
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. face — to point toward
  12. spring — of water
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. face — part of the head
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. fall — the season
  17. spring — a coil
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. face — to confront
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. fall — to drop
  23. snap — to click
  24. hide — to keep secret

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