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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.

Words on the sheet
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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 · board · present · rock · band · cabinet · clip · court

  1. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. clip — for paper
  3. present — there
  4. board — to get on
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. rock — music
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. wound — an injury
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. band — a music group
  14. band — a ring
  15. court — of a king
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. board — a committee
  18. clip — to cut
  19. wound — an injury
  20. present — the time now
  21. rock — a stone
  22. court — of law
  23. present — a gift
  24. court — for sport

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