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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: ruler · clip · mine · bear · arm · tear · coach · deal

  1. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  15. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — a monarch
  2. tear — to rip
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. tear — from crying
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. bear — the animal
  9. mine — for digging
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. deal — to handle
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. clip — a video
  18. tear — from crying
  19. clip — to cut
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. clip — for paper
  24. bear — the animal

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