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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 116 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: saw · track · chair · wake · clip · ruler · fork · row

  1. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. saw — the tool
  3. clip — a video
  4. clip — to cut
  5. ruler — a monarch
  6. clip — for paper
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. chair — a leader
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. row — to paddle
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. track — to keep track
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. saw — the tool
  17. track — a song
  18. row — a line
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. fork — in a road
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. track — a path

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