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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 116 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: land · clip · kid · safe · mouse · bear · bore · rash

  1. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  6. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. rash — a series
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. kid — to tease
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. rash — hasty
  8. bore — to tire
  9. land — to come down
  10. clip — for paper
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. land — a country
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. safe — a strongbox
  15. kid — child
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. clip — a video
  19. bear — the animal
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. land — ground
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. bore — to drill
  24. clip — to cut

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