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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: pound · arm · mate · staff · spring · pass · fan · snap

  1. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. spring — the season
  7. spring — of water
  8. mate — a friend
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. staff — employees
  11. snap — to click
  12. spring — a coil
  13. pass — to succeed
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. staff — employees
  16. pass — a permit
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. pound — a weight
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. mate — a partner
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. staff — a stick
  24. mate — to breed

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