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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.

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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 · clip · mug · pitcher · tube · perch · rest · bore

  1. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. bore — to drill
  3. mine — for digging
  4. rest — what's left
  5. perch — the fish
  6. mug — a face
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. tube — a container
  9. mug — a cup
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. mug — to rob
  12. tube — the underground
  13. clip — to cut
  14. clip — for paper
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. clip — a video
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. rest — what's left
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. rest — a break
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. bore — to tire

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