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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.

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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: bear · fan · rush · craft · lash · last · ball · clip

  1. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. last — final
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. craft — a skill
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. last — to go on
  9. craft — boats
  10. ball — a great time
  11. last — finally
  12. bear — the animal
  13. ball — a dance
  14. clip — to cut
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. rush — hurry
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. craft — a handicraft
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. clip — for paper
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. bear — the animal
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. rush — to hurry

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