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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. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. object — an aim
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. clip — a video
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. bound — certain
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. band — a music group
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. band — a ring
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. bound — tied together
  15. bound — obliged
  16. clip — to cut
  17. staff — a stick
  18. clip — for paper
  19. object — a thing
  20. craft — boats
  21. staff — employees
  22. staff — employees
  23. object — to protest
  24. calf — a young animal

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