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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: object · bound · rock · mate · hide · mug · squash · clip

  1. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. object — to protest
  4. squash — to crush
  5. mug — a cup
  6. mug — a face
  7. bound — certain
  8. mate — to breed
  9. mate — a friend
  10. object — a thing
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. rock — music
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. bound — tied together
  15. clip — for paper
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. clip — a video
  19. clip — to cut
  20. bound — obliged
  21. object — an aim
  22. squash — the sport
  23. rock — a stone
  24. mate — a partner

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