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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: hide · plane · mouse · bound · cabinet · hand · deal · clip

  1. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. bound — obliged
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. deal — to handle
  5. clip — a video
  6. hand — help
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. clip — for paper
  13. plane — a tool
  14. bound — tied together
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. bound — certain
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. hand — in cards
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. hide — animal skin

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