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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: shower · fan · mark · last · snap · board · bay · prune

  1. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. bay — to keep at bay
  3. snap — to click
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. board — a committee
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. mark — a trace
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. shower — to wash
  11. board — to get on
  12. shower — rain
  13. last — to go on
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. last — finally
  17. last — final
  18. bay — a part of the sea
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. prune — to trim
  22. mark — a grade
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. prune — to trim

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