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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 120 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: wound · saw · nail · bear · board · row · clip · object

  1. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. clip — to cut
  3. board — a committee
  4. wound — an injury
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. row — a line
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. object — a thing
  9. wound — an injury
  10. clip — for paper
  11. board — to get on
  12. bear — the animal
  13. saw — the tool
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. object — to protest
  16. row — to paddle
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. saw — the tool
  21. clip — a video
  22. bear — the animal
  23. object — an aim
  24. bear — to put up 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