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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. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. charge — a price
  3. rush — hurry
  4. bank — for money
  5. tear — from crying
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. race — humankind
  8. race — the arms race
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. charge — in control
  12. clip — a video
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. clip — for paper
  15. bank — of a river
  16. bank — for money
  17. tear — from crying
  18. charge — electricity
  19. bark — to shout
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. tear — to rip
  23. race — a contest
  24. fork — in a road

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