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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
468
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: nail · board · wave · rush · bound · cold · clip · kid

  1. The ________________ went through the wall.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. bound — certain
  5. cold — not warm
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. clip — for paper
  9. kid — child
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. bound — obliged
  12. clip — a video
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. board — a committee
  16. bound — tied together
  17. cold — an illness
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. rush — hurry
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. kid — to tease
  23. clip — to cut
  24. board — to get on

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