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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: mine · mouse · firm · suit · pitcher · degree · bear · clip

  1. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  15. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. When will it ________________ you to start?
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. firm — a company
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. suit — in cards
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. clip — a video
  10. degree — an amount
  11. mine — for digging
  12. clip — to cut
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. firm — decided
  15. firm — steady
  16. bear — the animal
  17. suit — to fit
  18. bear — the animal
  19. degree — temperature
  20. suit — clothes
  21. degree — from a university
  22. clip — for paper
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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