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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: clip · ruler · wound · foot · rock · sharp · fork · perch

  1. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. fork — in a road
  3. ruler — a monarch
  4. rock — a stone
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. wound — an injury
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. clip — for paper
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. sharp — clever
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. clip — a video
  17. perch — the fish
  18. wound — an injury
  19. foot — a measure
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. rock — music

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