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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

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

Word bank: leaves · rush · drill · clip · fan · spring · wave · date

  1. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. clip — for paper
  3. date — the fruit
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. rush — hurry
  6. drill — a practice
  7. spring — a coil
  8. spring — the season
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. spring — of water
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. drill — army training
  18. drill — the tool
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. clip — a video
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  24. leaves — to go away

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