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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: bear · clip · race · rule · cabinet · shower · mate · wave

  1. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. bear — the animal
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. race — the arms race
  7. clip — for paper
  8. race — humankind
  9. race — a contest
  10. mate — a friend
  11. clip — to cut
  12. rule — a law
  13. rule — government
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. mate — a partner
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. shower — to wash
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. shower — rain
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. mate — to breed
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. clip — a video

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