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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: snap · deal · pop · bear · fan · squash · band · kick

  1. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. snap — to click
  4. deal — to handle
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. bear — the animal
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. pop — to visit
  13. bear — the animal
  14. pop — music
  15. squash — the sport
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. pop — soda
  18. squash — to crush
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. band — a ring
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. kick — in football
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. band — a music group

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