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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. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. mark — a trace
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. hand — in cards
  6. rest — what's left
  7. rest — a break
  8. mark — a grade
  9. sharp — clever
  10. clip — to cut
  11. clip — for paper
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. craft — boats
  15. branch — a division
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. clip — a video
  18. rest — what's left
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. hand — help
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. craft — a handicraft

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