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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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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. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  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. cap — of ice
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. prune — to trim
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. cap — a lid
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. clip — for paper
  14. face — to point toward
  15. prune — to trim
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. kick — in football
  18. clip — to cut
  19. face — part of the head
  20. face — to confront
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. cap — a hat
  23. clip — a video
  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