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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 116 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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. bulb — for light
  5. rule — government
  6. clip — a video
  7. clip — for paper
  8. bank — for money
  9. bulb — for light
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. land — to come down
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. land — ground
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. clip — to cut
  19. land — a country
  20. bank — for money
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. rule — a law
  24. bank — of a river

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