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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
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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: clip · cell · band · object · nail · game · wound · rock

  1. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. object — a thing
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. cell — a phone
  6. rock — a stone
  7. clip — a video
  8. cell — in biology
  9. band — a ring
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. object — an aim
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. rock — music
  14. game — wild animals
  15. clip — for paper
  16. game — a match
  17. band — a music group
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. clip — to cut
  23. wound — an injury
  24. object — to protest

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