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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. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. clip — for paper
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. mouse — for a computer
  6. spring — a coil
  7. band — a ring
  8. stand — to bear
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. spring — of water
  13. content — happy
  14. band — a music group
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. clip — a video
  17. clip — to cut
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. spring — the season
  24. hide — to keep secret

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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