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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: dip · straw · band · kid · mate · mouse · season · club

  1. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. kid — to tease
  5. mate — to breed
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. club — for golf
  10. mate — a friend
  11. band — a ring
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. club — for dancing
  14. club — a group
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. mate — a partner
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. band — a music group
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. dip — to sink
  22. season — in sport
  23. season — of the year
  24. kid — child

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