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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: bark · cue · nail · pop · can · capital · race · clip

  1. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. cue — a signal
  3. pop — to visit
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. cue — a hint
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. can — a tin
  8. capital — money
  9. cue — for pool
  10. clip — a video
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. can — to be able to
  13. capital — a city
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. bark — to shout
  16. race — humankind
  17. race — the arms race
  18. pop — music
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. pop — soda
  22. can — a tin
  23. clip — for paper
  24. race — a contest

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