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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. fork — in a road
  3. clip — to cut
  4. craft — boats
  5. craft — a skill
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. wind — moving air
  8. clip — for paper
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. content — happy
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. wind — moving air
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. plane — a tool
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. foot — a measure
  23. content — the amount
  24. clip — a video

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