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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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Word bank
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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: straw · capital · clip · bulb · rule · pound

  1. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. clip — for paper
  3. bulb — for light
  4. clip — a video
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. capital — money
  7. clip — to cut
  8. bulb — for light
  9. pound — a weight
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. capital — a city
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. rule — a law
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. rule — to rule out

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