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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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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: bay · clip · spring · drill · board · fork · arm · net

  1. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a part of the sea
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. net — after costs
  4. bay — to keep at bay
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. drill — army training
  8. spring — a coil
  9. board — to get on
  10. drill — the tool
  11. fork — in a road
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. board — a committee
  14. spring — of water
  15. drill — a practice
  16. clip — a video
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. clip — for paper
  19. net — for catching
  20. net — in sport
  21. spring — the season
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. clip — to cut

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