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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 120 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. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. craft — a skill
  3. band — a music group
  4. clip — a video
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. clip — to cut
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. cap — a lid
  9. cap — of ice
  10. ground — the earth
  11. saw — the tool
  12. band — a ring
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. ground — a position
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. cap — a hat
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. clip — for paper
  19. ground — crushed
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. craft — boats
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. saw — the tool

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