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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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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: bay · mate · toast · hand · board · wake · clip · wind

  1. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. wind — moving air
  3. clip — for paper
  4. wake — a trail
  5. hand — help
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. clip — to cut
  9. toast — a drink to someone
  10. hand — in cards
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. mate — a partner
  13. board — a committee
  14. wind — moving air
  15. mate — a friend
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. toast — bread
  20. mate — to breed
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. board — to get on
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. toast — the most admired

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