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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: rush · bark · ruler · stick · land · game · suit · clip

  1. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. When will it ________________ you to start?
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  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. rush — to hurry
  2. suit — clothes
  3. bark — to shout
  4. land — a country
  5. suit — to fit
  6. clip — a video
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. game — wild animals
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. clip — for paper
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. rush — hurry
  15. suit — in cards
  16. land — to come down
  17. ruler — a monarch
  18. game — a match
  19. land — ground
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. clip — to cut
  23. ruler — for measuring
  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