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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: pit · clip · bark · nail · safe · tear · stand · ruler

  1. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. stand — on your feet
  3. clip — for paper
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. safe — a strongbox
  7. stand — to bear
  8. pit — in a race
  9. tear — from crying
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. clip — a video
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. pit — a hole
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. tear — from crying
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. clip — to cut
  21. ruler — a monarch
  22. bark — to shout
  23. tear — to rip
  24. nail — on a finger

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