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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: tear · squash · court · hide · object · saw · fork · clip

  1. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. court — for sport
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. tear — from crying
  5. saw — the tool
  6. clip — a video
  7. tear — from crying
  8. saw — the tool
  9. clip — for paper
  10. object — a thing
  11. court — of law
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. fork — in a road
  15. tear — to rip
  16. court — of a king
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. squash — to crush
  22. object — an aim
  23. object — to protest
  24. squash — the 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