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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: land · fan · clip · mouse · fall · safe · spring · dip

  1. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  7. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. spring — the season
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. fall — to drop
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. safe — a strongbox
  8. fall — the season
  9. land — a country
  10. land — ground
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. spring — of water
  14. clip — for paper
  15. land — to come down
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. spring — a coil
  18. clip — a video
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. dip — to sink
  24. fall — to drop

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