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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: race · last · hide · arm · clip · fan · mouse · straw

  1. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. My father caught me by the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. last — finally
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. race — a contest
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. race — humankind
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. last — to go on
  13. clip — a video
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. race — the arms race
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. clip — for paper
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. last — final
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. arm — part of the body

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