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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: cap · rule · trunk · row · pound · rush · rest · clip

  1. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. cap — a lid
  3. clip — to cut
  4. cap — of ice
  5. rush — hurry
  6. pound — a weight
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. row — a line
  9. rest — what's left
  10. rule — a law
  11. rule — government
  12. rest — what's left
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. clip — for paper
  15. cap — a hat
  16. row — to paddle
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. clip — a video
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. rest — a break

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