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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: fork · stick · clip · wake · wind · swing · foot · plane

  1. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. swing — in golf
  4. clip — a video
  5. clip — for paper
  6. swing — to play on
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. wake — a trail
  9. swing — music
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. plane — a tool
  13. clip — to cut
  14. fork — in a road
  15. foot — a measure
  16. wind — moving air
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. wind — moving air
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. plane — an aircraft

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