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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 116 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. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. kick — in football
  4. track — to keep track
  5. mug — a cup
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. band — a ring
  9. clip — for paper
  10. track — a path
  11. clip — a video
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. mug — a face
  14. craft — boats
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. wound — an injury
  19. wound — an injury
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. clip — to cut
  22. track — a song
  23. band — a music group
  24. mug — to rob

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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