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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: bore · tube · squash · clip · last · leaves · stand · mouse

  1. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. bore — to tire
  4. clip — for paper
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. squash — the sport
  8. bore — to drill
  9. last — to go on
  10. clip — to cut
  11. tube — a container
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. last — finally
  14. stand — to bear
  15. tube — the underground
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. clip — a video
  21. last — final
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. mouse — for a computer

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