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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: wake · swing · clip · mine · board · fork · ruler · wound

  1. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  2. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — a monarch
  2. fork — in a road
  3. mine — for digging
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. clip — for paper
  6. wound — an injury
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. wound — an injury
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. swing — music
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. board — to get on
  17. swing — in golf
  18. swing — to play on
  19. board — a committee
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. clip — to cut
  22. wake — a trail
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. clip — a video

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