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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
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 · kick · face · drill · craft · lash · clip · ground

  1. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. ground — the earth
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. face — part of the head
  6. kick — in football
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. drill — the tool
  11. face — to point toward
  12. craft — a skill
  13. ground — crushed
  14. ground — a position
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. clip — a video
  17. clip — to cut
  18. face — to confront
  19. craft — boats
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. drill — army training
  22. drill — a practice
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. clip — for paper

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