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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: fan · ground · stem · mouse · snap · bat · roll · board

  1. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. We're on a ________________ here.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. ground — the earth
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. roll — a list
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. roll — a cake
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. board — a committee
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. stem — to come from
  16. ground — a position
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. bat — the animal
  20. board — to get on
  21. ground — crushed
  22. roll — on a roll
  23. snap — to click
  24. fan — to cool the air

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