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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. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a handicraft
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. clip — a video
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. mouse — for a computer
  6. craft — boats
  7. pop — soda
  8. clip — for paper
  9. wake — a trail
  10. pop — to visit
  11. craft — a skill
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. bark — to shout
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. pop — music
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. clip — to cut
  24. fan — a supporter

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