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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: rock · race · land · mine · clip · mouse · rule · lean

  1. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  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. rock — a stone
  2. race — a contest
  3. lean — to bend
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. lean — thin
  8. rock — music
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. clip — a video
  12. rule — a law
  13. race — the arms race
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. race — humankind
  16. land — a country
  17. mine — for digging
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. land — to come down
  20. clip — for paper
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. land — ground
  23. rule — government
  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