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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 120 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: march · mug · snap · file · clip · hide · wave · mouse

  1. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. march — the month
  5. file — a document
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. mug — a cup
  8. file — a line of people
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. snap — to click
  13. march — music
  14. march — the month
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. clip — a video
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. clip — for paper
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. file — a tool
  22. mug — to rob
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. clip — to cut

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