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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: clip · bear · cabinet · staff · mouse · bat · lie · ruler

  1. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. clip — a video
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. bat — the animal
  5. bear — the animal
  6. staff — a stick
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. staff — employees
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. clip — to cut
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. clip — for paper
  16. ruler — a monarch
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. bear — the animal
  19. staff — employees
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. lie — to recline
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. ruler — for measuring

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