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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: racket · rule · clip · tear · wake · lean

  1. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — to rule out
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. wake — a trail
  4. rule — government
  5. tear — from crying
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. clip — a video
  10. clip — for paper
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. tear — from crying
  14. lean — to bend
  15. rule — a law
  16. clip — to cut
  17. lean — thin
  18. tear — to rip

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