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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: wake · cue · tear · bound · pop · cabinet · row · clip

  1. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. clip — a video
  3. pop — music
  4. tear — from crying
  5. wake — a trail
  6. row — to paddle
  7. cue — for pool
  8. tear — from crying
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. bound — obliged
  11. cue — a hint
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. pop — soda
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. bound — certain
  16. cue — a signal
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. bound — tied together
  19. clip — to cut
  20. row — a line
  21. pop — to visit
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. tear — to rip

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