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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

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

Word bank: mouse · bore · fork · file · hide · saw · clip · scale

  1. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. file — a document
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. bore — to drill
  7. scale — in music
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. scale — size or range
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. saw — the tool
  13. saw — the tool
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. clip — a video
  17. clip — for paper
  18. fork — in a road
  19. clip — to cut
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. file — a tool
  22. file — a line of people
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. bore — to tire

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