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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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. board — to get on
  3. clip — to cut
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. band — a ring
  6. board — a committee
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. bark — to shout
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. clip — a video
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. cap — a hat
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. cap — a lid
  15. band — a music group
  16. ruler — a monarch
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. clip — for paper
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. wind — moving air
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. cap — of ice

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