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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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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: drill · snap · clip · board · chest · craft · fork · pound

  1. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  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. board — a committee
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. clip — to cut
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. chest — a box
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. craft — a skill
  8. drill — a practice
  9. fork — in a road
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. clip — for paper
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. chest — of your body
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. craft — boats
  16. clip — a video
  17. board — to get on
  18. pound — a weight
  19. snap — to click
  20. drill — army training
  21. drill — the tool
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. chest — of your body
  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