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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: tear · can · pop · pound · rash · clip · file · bound

  1. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. bound — obliged
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. file — a tool
  5. rash — a series
  6. file — a document
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. tear — to rip
  9. bound — tied together
  10. pop — to visit
  11. clip — a video
  12. can — a tin
  13. bound — certain
  14. clip — for paper
  15. file — a line of people
  16. pop — soda
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. clip — to cut
  19. pop — music
  20. pound — a weight
  21. tear — from crying
  22. rash — hasty
  23. tear — from crying
  24. can — to be able to

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