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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
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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: clip · lash · cap · bulb · bear · rush · face · fan

  1. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. bulb — for light
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. cap — a hat
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. bear — the animal
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. cap — of ice
  12. face — to confront
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. face — part of the head
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. clip — to cut
  17. bulb — for light
  18. clip — a video
  19. cap — a lid
  20. bear — the animal
  21. clip — for paper
  22. face — to point toward
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. lash — to lash out

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