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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.

Make a worksheet

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
468
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: bear · kick · mouse · shower · trunk · bass · clip · leaves

  1. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. shower — to wash
  8. clip — for paper
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. kick — in football
  12. clip — a video
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. bear — the animal
  17. bass — the fish
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. bass — low music
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. shower — rain
  22. clip — to cut
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. bear — the animal

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