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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 120 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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · hand · mug · bat · march · trunk · fork · fan

  1. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — in a road
  2. mug — a cup
  3. mug — a face
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. bat — the animal
  6. hand — help
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. hand — in cards
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. march — the month
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. snap — to click
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. march — music
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. march — the month
  21. mug — to rob
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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