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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 · trunk · ball · saw · kick · rush · board · snap

  1. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. ball — a great time
  3. snap — to click
  4. board — a committee
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. saw — the tool
  7. board — to get on
  8. rush — hurry
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. kick — in football
  12. ball — a dance
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. saw — the tool
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. board — a flat piece

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