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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: march · band · foot · clip · cabinet · wave · rule · snap

  1. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. clip — a video
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. wave — of the sea
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. clip — to cut
  8. snap — to click
  9. march — the month
  10. band — a music group
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. rule — a law
  13. foot — a measure
  14. march — music
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. clip — for paper
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. rule — government
  19. band — a ring
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. march — the month
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. wave — with your hand
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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