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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: bark · cap · wave · clip · rule · can · bear · race

  1. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. clip — to cut
  3. bark — to shout
  4. bear — the animal
  5. clip — a video
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. rule — a law
  9. race — a contest
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. race — humankind
  12. can — a tin
  13. rule — government
  14. cap — a lid
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. bear — the animal
  19. can — a tin
  20. cap — a hat
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. cap — of ice
  23. clip — for paper
  24. race — the arms race

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