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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.

Make a worksheet

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: fan · hide · land · prune · toast · squash · clip · mouse

  1. When are we going to ________________?
  2. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. toast — bread
  4. land — ground
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. clip — for paper
  8. clip — to cut
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. squash — to crush
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. prune — to trim
  14. toast — the most admired
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. prune — to trim
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. squash — the sport
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. land — a country
  24. clip — a video

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