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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: drill · tube · fan · row · saw · mouse · object · clip

  1. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. object — a thing
  3. row — to paddle
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. drill — army training
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. tube — a container
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. drill — the tool
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. row — a line
  14. object — an aim
  15. clip — a video
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. saw — the tool
  18. clip — to cut
  19. drill — a practice
  20. tube — the underground
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. object — to protest
  23. saw — the tool
  24. clip — for paper

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