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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: bound · hand · can · clip · bear · wind · bark · cap

  1. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. can — a tin
  4. clip — a video
  5. can — a tin
  6. bark — to shout
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. bound — certain
  9. bound — obliged
  10. cap — a lid
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. bound — tied together
  13. can — to be able to
  14. clip — to cut
  15. wind — moving air
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. wind — moving air
  18. bear — the animal
  19. hand — help
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. hand — in cards
  22. clip — for paper
  23. bear — the animal
  24. cap — a hat

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