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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: tear · pass · bear · nail · clip · chest · rule · rush

  1. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. clip — a video
  3. pass — to spend time
  4. chest — of your body
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. rule — a law
  7. clip — for paper
  8. tear — to rip
  9. chest — a box
  10. bear — the animal
  11. tear — from crying
  12. tear — from crying
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. rule — government
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. clip — to cut
  20. bear — the animal
  21. pass — to succeed
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. pass — a permit
  24. chest — of your body

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