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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: bat · saw · snap · fan · bay · hand · field · wave

  1. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  2. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a part of the sea
  2. wave — a sudden rise
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. field — farmland
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. hand — in cards
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. hand — help
  13. bat — the animal
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. field — a subject
  17. saw — the tool
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. saw — the tool
  23. field — for sport
  24. snap — to click

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