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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: fork · pit · object · mine · leaves · last · clip · board

  1. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. object — to protest
  7. board — to get on
  8. object — an aim
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. last — final
  11. clip — a video
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. last — to go on
  14. fork — in a road
  15. last — finally
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. mine — for digging
  18. object — a thing
  19. pit — a hole
  20. clip — for paper
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. pit — in a race
  23. board — a committee
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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