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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: date · clip · saw · nail · ground · wound · board · mark

  1. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. Have you settled on a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. ground — the earth
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. mark — a grade
  6. ground — crushed
  7. board — a committee
  8. clip — a video
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. date — the fruit
  11. clip — for paper
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. ground — a position
  14. saw — the tool
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. board — to get on
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. mark — a trace
  21. clip — to cut
  22. wound — an injury
  23. wound — an injury
  24. date — on the calendar

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