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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: wound · kick · bear · fork · stem · nail · clip · swing

  1. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. swing — music
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. bear — the animal
  6. fork — in a road
  7. swing — in golf
  8. bear — the animal
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. kick — in football
  14. swing — to play on
  15. wound — an injury
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. clip — for paper
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. clip — a video
  21. clip — to cut
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. stem — to come from

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