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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
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: mine · kick · stock · clip · chip · mouse · band · shower

  1. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. chip — to eat
  7. kick — in football
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. shower — rain
  10. stock — shares
  11. stock — goods
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. clip — for paper
  15. band — a music group
  16. clip — to cut
  17. chip — for betting
  18. mine — for digging
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. clip — a video
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. band — a ring

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