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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 120 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: mate · hide · nail · mouse · present · clip · band · rush

  1. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. present — a gift
  4. present — there
  5. clip — to cut
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. band — a music group
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. rush — hurry
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. clip — a video
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. mate — to breed
  20. clip — for paper
  21. mate — a partner
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. mate — a friend
  24. present — the time now

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