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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.

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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. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. band — a ring
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. rock — a stone
  8. wax — to grow
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. clip — for paper
  15. clip — a video
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. clip — to cut
  19. bat — the animal
  20. rock — music
  21. band — a music group
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. bat — for baseball

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