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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: roll · fine · clip · fork · squash · wound · mark · spring

  1. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. roll — a list
  3. squash — the sport
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. clip — for paper
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. fine — all right
  8. wound — an injury
  9. spring — a coil
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. mark — a trace
  13. wound — an injury
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. mark — a grade
  16. fine — high quality
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. spring — of water
  19. fork — in a road
  20. spring — the season
  21. roll — a cake
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. squash — to crush
  24. clip — to cut

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