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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 · march · ground · bore · wake · rock · hand

  1. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — a stone
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. rock — music
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. bore — to tire
  6. snap — to click
  7. ground — a position
  8. march — music
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. bore — to drill
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. march — the month
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. hand — in cards
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. hand — help
  19. ground — the earth
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. march — the month
  22. ground — crushed
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. wake — a trail

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