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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 116 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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. clip — to cut
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. tear — from crying
  8. tear — from crying
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. clip — a video
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. object — an aim
  14. clip — for paper
  15. prune — to trim
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. prune — to trim
  18. fine — all right
  19. object — a thing
  20. fine — high quality
  21. deal — to handle
  22. tear — to rip
  23. object — to protest
  24. prune — the fruit

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