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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. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  2. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. wave — a sudden rise
  3. wind — moving air
  4. toast — the most admired
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. clip — for paper
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. wind — moving air
  9. craft — boats
  10. land — a country
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. toast — a drink to someone
  13. clip — to cut
  14. land — to come down
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. land — ground
  17. snap — to click
  18. craft — a handicraft
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. clip — a video
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. toast — bread
  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