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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 · stem · trunk · fan · arm · court · saw · bulb

  1. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. My father caught me by the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. saw — the tool
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. court — for sport
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. bulb — for light
  11. stem — to come from
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. bulb — for light
  14. saw — the tool
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. court — of law
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. court — of a king
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. snap — to click
  24. arm — part of the body

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