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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: rash · squash · fork · object · clip · saw · hand · content

  1. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. hand — in cards
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. clip — a video
  7. object — to protest
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. saw — the tool
  10. rash — a series
  11. object — an aim
  12. object — a thing
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. content — happy
  15. squash — to crush
  16. clip — to cut
  17. squash — the sport
  18. saw — the tool
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. fork — in a road
  21. rash — hasty
  22. clip — for paper
  23. hand — help
  24. content — the amount

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