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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 124 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. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. spring — the season
  4. clip — to cut
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. spring — of water
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. spring — a coil
  11. chip — for betting
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. chip — to eat
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. clip — a video
  24. chip — in a computer

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