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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.

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 · plane · bass · patient · chest · clip · wax · kick

  1. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. chest — a box
  3. clip — to cut
  4. clip — for paper
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. plane — a tool
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. bass — low music
  11. kick — in football
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. chest — of your body
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. wax — to grow
  16. bass — the fish
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. clip — a video
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. chest — of your body
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. kick — with a leg

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