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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 116 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: saw · present · mouse · tube · clip · pound · hide · rest

  1. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. pound — a weight
  6. clip — a video
  7. present — a gift
  8. rest — a break
  9. present — the time now
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. tube — the underground
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. clip — to cut
  15. saw — the tool
  16. rest — what's left
  17. saw — the tool
  18. rest — what's left
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. clip — for paper
  23. present — there
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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