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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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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: cue · fall · mouse · cabinet · straw · clip · temple · perch

  1. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. perch — the fish
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. mouse — for a computer
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. clip — a video
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. fall — the season
  12. clip — for paper
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. cue — for pool
  15. cue — a signal
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. fall — to drop
  19. temple — side of the head
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. fall — to drop
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. cue — a hint
  24. cabinet — ministers

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