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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.

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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 · snap · spring · board · track · hide · degree · craft

  1. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. craft — a skill
  6. board — to get on
  7. craft — boats
  8. spring — the season
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. spring — a coil
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. board — a committee
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. track — to keep track
  17. degree — temperature
  18. track — a song
  19. track — a path
  20. degree — an amount
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. snap — to click
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. degree — from a university

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