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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: stand · clip · wind · bear · rule · mate

  1. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. wind — moving air
  4. bear — the animal
  5. clip — to cut
  6. stand — to bear
  7. mate — a friend
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. clip — a video
  10. bear — the animal
  11. wind — moving air
  12. mate — to breed
  13. rule — government
  14. clip — for paper
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. mate — a partner

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