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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: mouse · tube · march · club · ground · last · saw · lean

  1. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. club — a group
  4. lean — thin
  5. last — to go on
  6. club — for golf
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. saw — the tool
  9. ground — crushed
  10. tube — the underground
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. march — the month
  13. last — final
  14. tube — a container
  15. club — for dancing
  16. march — music
  17. march — the month
  18. ground — a position
  19. saw — the tool
  20. last — finally
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. lean — to bend
  23. ground — the earth
  24. tube — in a 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