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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: nail · wave · clip · bear · key · shower · row · mouse

  1. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. shower — to wash
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. key — the most important part
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. bear — the animal
  8. bear — the animal
  9. clip — a video
  10. shower — rain
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. row — a line
  13. clip — to cut
  14. row — to paddle
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. clip — for paper
  22. key — in music
  23. key — for a lock
  24. mouse — the animal

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