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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: fall · cap · bulb · present · can · snap · bowl · fan

  1. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. fall — to drop
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. present — a gift
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. fall — the season
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. fall — to drop
  9. can — to be able to
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. bulb — for light
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. snap — to click
  14. present — there
  15. can — a tin
  16. bulb — for light
  17. cap — a hat
  18. can — a tin
  19. present — the time now
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. cap — a lid
  22. cap — of ice
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. fan — a supporter

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