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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.

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: mouse · shower · prune · clip · fan · straw · fork · craft

  1. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. clip — for paper
  5. prune — to trim
  6. clip — a video
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. fork — in a road
  12. craft — boats
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. shower — to wash
  15. craft — a skill
  16. shower — rain
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. clip — to cut
  22. prune — to trim
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. straw — a straw man

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