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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. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. Is it ________________ for us to be here?

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. prune — to trim
  4. chair — a leader
  5. current — of water
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. clip — to cut
  8. prune — to trim
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. spring — a coil
  11. craft — boats
  12. bat — the animal
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. spring — the season
  17. current — electric
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. spring — of water
  20. clip — a video
  21. craft — a skill
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. current — happening now
  24. safe — out of danger

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