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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 thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. season — of the year
  5. track — to keep track
  6. clip — to cut
  7. track — a song
  8. field — for sport
  9. track — a path
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. wound — an injury
  15. field — a subject
  16. bank — for money
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. bank — of a river
  19. bank — for money
  20. season — in sport
  21. field — farmland
  22. clip — a video
  23. clip — for paper
  24. wound — an injury

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