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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. False peace will not ________________.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. last — to go on
  3. last — finally
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. plane — a tool
  7. craft — boats
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. clip — for paper
  10. cap — a lid
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. bulb — for light
  14. clip — to cut
  15. cap — of ice
  16. cap — a hat
  17. clip — a video
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. rush — hurry
  22. bulb — for light
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. last — final

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