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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: rock · arm · nail · chair · clip · bound · fan · wound

  1. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. clip — a video
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. bound — obliged
  5. wound — an injury
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. wound — an injury
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. clip — to cut
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. rock — music
  16. rock — a stone
  17. chair — a leader
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. bound — certain
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. clip — for paper
  23. bound — tied together
  24. fan — a supporter

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