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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. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  3. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. The people resisted their cruel ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. ground — a position
  5. clip — a video
  6. ground — the earth
  7. clip — to cut
  8. firm — steady
  9. season — in sport
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. bark — to shout
  12. season — of the year
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. band — a ring
  16. roll — a cake
  17. firm — decided
  18. roll — a list
  19. firm — a company
  20. band — a music group
  21. ground — crushed
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. ruler — a monarch

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