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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: mouse · ground · mate · clip · current · wind · dip · club

  1. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. mate — a friend
  3. wind — moving air
  4. current — happening now
  5. club — a group
  6. wind — moving air
  7. club — for dancing
  8. clip — a video
  9. mate — to breed
  10. ground — crushed
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. club — for golf
  13. current — of water
  14. ground — the earth
  15. dip — to sink
  16. clip — to cut
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. current — electric
  21. ground — a position
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. clip — for paper
  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