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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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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: club · band · field · bowl · dip · mouse · clip · last

  1. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. band — a music group
  5. field — for sport
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. last — to go on
  8. field — a subject
  9. club — for dancing
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. dip — to sink
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. club — a group
  15. clip — for paper
  16. last — finally
  17. last — final
  18. field — farmland
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. clip — to cut
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. club — for golf
  24. band — a ring

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