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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: ball · fan · clip · perch · snap · mouse · rash · band

  1. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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. band — a ring
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. clip — a video
  6. clip — for paper
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. ball — a dance
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. ball — a great time
  16. snap — to click
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. rash — a series
  19. rash — hasty
  20. perch — the fish
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. band — a music group
  24. perch — for a bird

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