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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: perch · mine · mate · land · rule · mouse · mug · tear

  1. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. rule — government
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. mug — a cup
  5. mug — to rob
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. tear — to rip
  8. mine — for digging
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. tear — from crying
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. land — ground
  14. land — to come down
  15. mate — a partner
  16. mate — to breed
  17. mug — a face
  18. rule — a law
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. tear — from crying
  21. mate — a friend
  22. perch — the fish
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. land — a country

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