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

Word bank: drill · rule · mark · clip · bark · saw

  1. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. saw — the tool
  3. bark — to shout
  4. mark — a grade
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. clip — to cut
  7. rule — a law
  8. clip — for paper
  9. mark — a trace
  10. clip — a video
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. saw — the tool
  15. drill — the tool
  16. drill — a practice
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. rule — government

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