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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: board · wake · content · cabinet · sharp · shower · clip · bark

  1. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. clip — a video
  3. board — to get on
  4. clip — for paper
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. shower — rain
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. shower — to wash
  11. board — a committee
  12. wake — a trail
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. sharp — clever
  15. content — happy
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. bark — to shout
  23. content — the amount
  24. content — videos and posts

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