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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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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: kick · band · perch · snap · wave · fan · mate · firm

  1. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  24. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. band — a ring
  3. kick — in football
  4. mate — a partner
  5. band — a music group
  6. snap — to click
  7. mate — to breed
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. firm — steady
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. firm — decided
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. mate — a friend
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. firm — a company
  24. wave — with your hand

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