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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.

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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: row · lean · clip · mouse · temple · nail · hand · bat

  1. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. When was this ________________ built?
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. lean — thin
  4. clip — for paper
  5. hand — in cards
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. row — to paddle
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. clip — a video
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. hand — help
  14. lean — to bend
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. clip — to cut
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. bat — the animal
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. row — a line
  24. temple — a place of worship

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