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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: suit · nail · clip · cold · rash · bark · can · mark

  1. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. When will it ________________ you to start?
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. can — a tin
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. bark — to shout
  5. cold — not warm
  6. suit — clothes
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. cold — an illness
  10. can — a tin
  11. can — to be able to
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. clip — a video
  14. clip — for paper
  15. mark — a grade
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. suit — to fit
  18. rash — a series
  19. suit — in cards
  20. rash — hasty
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. mark — a trace
  24. nail — on a finger

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