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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.

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: chest · rest · bass · hide · clip · mouse · saw · bound

  1. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. chest — of your body
  3. clip — for paper
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. mouse — for a computer
  6. bound — certain
  7. clip — to cut
  8. chest — of your body
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. rest — what's left
  11. chest — a box
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. rest — what's left
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. saw — the tool
  16. clip — a video
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. bound — tied together
  20. bass — low music
  21. bass — the fish
  22. saw — the tool
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. rest — a break

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