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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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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. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. pop — music
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. lean — thin
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. deal — to handle
  9. clip — to cut
  10. clip — a video
  11. date — the fruit
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. lean — to bend
  15. drill — a practice
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. pop — soda
  20. drill — the tool
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. pop — to visit
  23. drill — army training
  24. fan — a supporter

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