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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.

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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: mouse · band · mate · straw · fall · can · track · hand

  1. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. hand — help
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. hand — in cards
  5. track — to keep track
  6. can — a tin
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. fall — the season
  9. can — to be able to
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. band — a music group
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. track — a path
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. fall — to drop
  16. track — a song
  17. band — a ring
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. mate — a friend
  20. fall — to drop
  21. mate — to breed
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. mate — a partner
  24. can — a tin

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