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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. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. drill — a practice
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. deal — to handle
  9. squash — to crush
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. lean — thin
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. drill — the tool
  15. clip — a video
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. lean — to bend
  20. clip — for paper
  21. squash — the sport
  22. fine — all right
  23. drill — army training
  24. fine — high quality

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