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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: mouse · last · spring · row · chest · clip · pitch · tube

  1. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. row — a line
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. clip — a video
  5. tube — a container
  6. pitch — completely
  7. spring — of water
  8. chest — of your body
  9. row — to paddle
  10. chest — a box
  11. chest — of your body
  12. clip — to cut
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. clip — for paper
  15. tube — the underground
  16. last — to go on
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. spring — the season
  21. spring — a coil
  22. last — final
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. last — finally

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