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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 120 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: can · wake · spell · bark · ruler · clip · cap · band

  1. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. The people resisted their cruel ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. clip — for paper
  3. can — to be able to
  4. spell — a short time
  5. band — a ring
  6. bark — to shout
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. cap — a lid
  9. wake — a trail
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. spell — letters
  12. band — a music group
  13. can — a tin
  14. can — a tin
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. spell — magic
  18. clip — a video
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. clip — to cut
  21. cap — a hat
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. cap — of ice
  24. ruler — a monarch

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