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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 116 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: row · deal · bound · clip · lash · cell · board · can

  1. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. bound — certain
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. clip — a video
  7. row — a line
  8. deal — to handle
  9. can — a tin
  10. can — a tin
  11. clip — to cut
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. cell — in biology
  16. cell — a phone
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. bound — tied together
  19. row — to paddle
  20. board — a committee
  21. can — to be able to
  22. bound — obliged
  23. board — to get on
  24. clip — for paper

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