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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: land · fine · mouse · clip · can · degree · bark · bowl

  1. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. land — to come down
  4. land — a country
  5. clip — to cut
  6. clip — a video
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. degree — temperature
  12. can — a tin
  13. degree — from a university
  14. clip — for paper
  15. land — ground
  16. bark — to shout
  17. fine — high quality
  18. degree — an amount
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. can — to be able to
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. fine — all right
  23. bark — of a tree
  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