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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
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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: roll · clip · fan · scale · mouse · mate · mug · spring

  1. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  16. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. mug — a face
  3. spring — the season
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. mate — a friend
  8. clip — for paper
  9. mate — a partner
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. mug — to rob
  13. mug — a cup
  14. scale — size or range
  15. roll — a cake
  16. roll — a list
  17. spring — a coil
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. clip — a video
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. clip — to cut
  23. scale — in music
  24. spring — of water

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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