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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — for measuring
  2. lean — thin
  3. chest — of your body
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. lean — to bend
  7. clip — a video
  8. chest — a box
  9. clip — to cut
  10. ruler — a monarch
  11. bark — to shout
  12. chest — of your body
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. tear — to rip
  15. tear — from crying
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. tear — from crying
  18. clip — for paper

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