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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: cap · clip · pound · rest · ruler · tear

  1. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. rest — what's left
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. cap — a hat
  5. rest — a break
  6. rest — what's left
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. clip — a video
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. tear — to rip
  11. tear — from crying
  12. clip — to cut
  13. cap — a lid
  14. tear — from crying
  15. cap — of ice
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. ruler — a monarch
  18. pound — a weight

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