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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: can · bound · root · chip · mouse · straw · ground · clip

  1. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. bound — certain
  3. ground — crushed
  4. can — to be able to
  5. bound — obliged
  6. root — of a plant
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. clip — a video
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. chip — for betting
  11. bound — tied together
  12. clip — for paper
  13. root — of a word
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. chip — to eat
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. can — a tin
  19. ground — the earth
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. ground — a position
  22. root — the cause
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. can — a tin

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