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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: stand · clip · tear · race · wake · bat · temple · ruler

  1. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  7. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. bat — the animal
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. clip — a video
  6. ruler — a monarch
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. tear — from crying
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. clip — for paper
  11. race — humankind
  12. stand — to bear
  13. race — a contest
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. race — the arms race
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. tear — from crying
  23. tear — to rip
  24. wake — a trail

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