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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: clip · bound · wake · key · fork · rock · spring · chest

  1. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. spring — a coil
  4. clip — for paper
  5. fork — in a road
  6. chest — of your body
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. wake — a trail
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. chest — of your body
  11. rock — a stone
  12. key — for a lock
  13. key — in music
  14. bound — tied together
  15. key — the most important part
  16. clip — to cut
  17. chest — a box
  18. spring — of water
  19. spring — the season
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. bound — certain
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. rock — music
  24. bound — obliged

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