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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 120 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: ruler · root · hand · nail · snap · clip · game · mouse

  1. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. clip — to cut
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. game — a match
  7. root — of a word
  8. snap — to click
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. game — wild animals
  12. root — of a plant
  13. clip — for paper
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. ruler — a monarch
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. clip — a video
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. hand — help
  22. hand — in cards
  23. root — the cause
  24. game — a kind of play

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