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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: land · rock · saw · key · clip · bear · mouse · capital

  1. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. clip — a video
  3. clip — to cut
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. rock — music
  6. capital — a city
  7. saw — the tool
  8. key — the most important part
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. land — a country
  11. bear — the animal
  12. saw — the tool
  13. capital — money
  14. rock — a stone
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. key — for a lock
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. land — ground
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. key — in music
  23. land — to come down
  24. clip — for paper

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