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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. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. can — to be able to
  3. clip — to cut
  4. bank — for money
  5. craft — a skill
  6. bank — of a river
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. roll — a cake
  9. present — there
  10. craft — boats
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. roll — a list
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. bank — for money
  15. clip — a video
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. can — a tin
  18. present — the time now
  19. mine — for digging
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. present — a gift
  22. clip — for paper
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. mine — belonging to me

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