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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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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 hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. clip — for paper
  3. bound — tied together
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. hand — in cards
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. bound — obliged
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. clip — a video
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. bark — to shout
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. hand — help
  20. bound — certain
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. ruler — a monarch
  23. clip — to cut
  24. leaves — lets stay

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