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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: mine · bulb · object · mouse · fan · straw · clip · dip

  1. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. object — to protest
  5. object — a thing
  6. dip — to sink
  7. clip — to cut
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. bulb — for light
  10. object — an aim
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. mine — for digging
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. clip — for paper
  17. bulb — for light
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. clip — a video

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