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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.

Words on the sheet
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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 · clip · wave · pop · chest · land · bowl · mark

  1. When are we going to ________________?
  2. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. land — ground
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. clip — to cut
  7. mark — a trace
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. chest — of your body
  10. land — a country
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. mark — a grade
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. chest — of your body
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. clip — a video
  18. pop — music
  19. chest — a box
  20. pop — to visit
  21. pop — soda
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. wave — with your hand
  24. clip — for paper

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