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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: fork · wound · clip · season · can · date · snap · bound

  1. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. season — in sport
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. clip — to cut
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. fork — in a road
  10. can — a tin
  11. bound — certain
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. bound — obliged
  14. wound — an injury
  15. season — of the year
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. clip — a video
  18. can — a tin
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. snap — to click
  21. date — the fruit
  22. can — to be able to
  23. wound — an injury
  24. clip — for paper

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