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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: mine · board · clip · craft · wound · ruler · cap · rash

  1. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  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. board — to get on
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. wound — an injury
  5. wound — an injury
  6. board — a committee
  7. ruler — a monarch
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. cap — of ice
  10. clip — to cut
  11. craft — boats
  12. craft — a skill
  13. rash — hasty
  14. rash — a series
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. cap — a lid
  17. clip — for paper
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. mine — for digging
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. cap — a hat
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. mine — belonging to me
  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