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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.

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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: board · wind · clip · suit · drill · firm · season · saw

  1. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  15. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  23. When will it ________________ you to start?
  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. season — to add flavour
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. suit — in cards
  4. saw — the tool
  5. season — of the year
  6. board — a committee
  7. drill — the tool
  8. saw — the tool
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. wind — moving air
  11. clip — to cut
  12. drill — army training
  13. clip — a video
  14. firm — decided
  15. firm — steady
  16. drill — a practice
  17. season — in sport
  18. board — to get on
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. suit — clothes
  21. wind — moving air
  22. firm — a company
  23. suit — to fit
  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