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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: mine · jam · bark · ball · pound · clip · tear · ruler

  1. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  5. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. clip — a video
  3. ball — a dance
  4. jam — a tight spot
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. bark — to shout
  8. tear — from crying
  9. jam — in traffic
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. tear — to rip
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. clip — for paper
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. ball — a great time
  19. ruler — a monarch
  20. mine — for digging
  21. jam — to spread on bread
  22. pound — a weight
  23. tear — from crying
  24. ruler — for measuring

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