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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: board · tube · clip · wind · date · mate · mouse · rush

  1. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. board — to get on
  3. mate — to breed
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. rush — hurry
  9. tube — a container
  10. date — the fruit
  11. wind — moving air
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. wind — moving air
  14. clip — a video
  15. clip — to cut
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. board — a committee
  19. clip — for paper
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. mate — a friend
  23. tube — the underground
  24. mate — a partner

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