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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. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  6. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. ruler — a monarch
  7. plane — a tool
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. hand — in cards
  12. clip — to cut
  13. clip — for paper
  14. race — a contest
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. rush — hurry
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. race — the arms race
  20. hand — help
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. bark — to shout
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. race — humankind

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