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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: snap · band · fall · bulb · fan · foot · saw · toast

  1. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. foot — a measure
  4. fall — the season
  5. toast — a drink to someone
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. bulb — for light
  9. toast — the most admired
  10. band — a music group
  11. fall — to drop
  12. snap — to click
  13. fall — to drop
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. toast — bread
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. saw — the tool
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. band — a ring
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. saw — the tool
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. bulb — for light

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