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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. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. clip — to cut
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. kick — in football
  6. tube — a container
  7. land — ground
  8. current — electric
  9. lie — to recline
  10. clip — for paper
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. craft — boats
  14. tube — the underground
  15. wake — a trail
  16. current — happening now
  17. land — a country
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. land — to come down
  20. current — of water
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. clip — a video
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. lie — an untruth

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