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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: hide · clip · saw · rule · spring · snap · board · swing

  1. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. spring — a coil
  3. clip — to cut
  4. saw — the tool
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. swing — to play on
  7. spring — the season
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. snap — to click
  12. saw — the tool
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. swing — in golf
  16. spring — of water
  17. rule — a law
  18. clip — for paper
  19. rule — government
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. board — a committee
  22. swing — music
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. board — to get on

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