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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. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. drill — the tool
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. face — to point toward
  7. face — part of the head
  8. fine — all right
  9. face — to confront
  10. drill — army training
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. fine — high quality
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. wax — to grow
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. clip — a video
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. drill — a practice
  20. clip — for paper
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. rush — hurry

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