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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: sharp · board · net · fan · bound · mark · clip · bear

  1. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. bear — the animal
  3. net — for catching
  4. bound — certain
  5. net — after costs
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. board — to get on
  8. bear — the animal
  9. clip — to cut
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. net — in sport
  12. bound — tied together
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. mark — a grade
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. clip — for paper
  18. sharp — clever
  19. board — a committee
  20. mark — a trace
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. bound — obliged
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. clip — a video

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