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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 120 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: kid · clip · tear · deal · pass · bark · spell · charge

  1. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. spell — magic
  5. pass — to spend time
  6. charge — electricity
  7. kid — child
  8. charge — a price
  9. spell — a short time
  10. bark — to shout
  11. tear — to rip
  12. spell — letters
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. deal — to handle
  15. pass — a permit
  16. tear — from crying
  17. tear — from crying
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. clip — to cut
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. charge — in control
  22. kid — to tease
  23. pass — to succeed
  24. clip — for paper

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