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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 116 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. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  12. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. saw — the tool
  3. last — final
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. clip — for paper
  6. pound — a weight
  7. clip — a video
  8. saw — the tool
  9. last — to go on
  10. bark — to shout
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. ruler — a monarch
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. bound — obliged
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. clip — to cut
  18. last — finally
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. bound — certain
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. wave — with your hand

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