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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: mark · clip · bound · ground · wound · deal · fork · land

  1. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a grade
  2. land — a country
  3. fork — in a road
  4. clip — to cut
  5. deal — to handle
  6. ground — the earth
  7. clip — a video
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. wound — an injury
  10. clip — for paper
  11. ground — a position
  12. bound — certain
  13. land — to come down
  14. ground — crushed
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. land — ground
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. mark — a trace
  20. bound — tied together
  21. wound — an injury
  22. bound — obliged
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. fork — to eat with

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