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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. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. craft — a skill
  3. craft — boats
  4. clip — a video
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. roll — a list
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. present — there
  10. clip — to cut
  11. clip — for paper
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. drill — a practice
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. roll — a cake
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. drill — army training
  19. squash — to crush
  20. dip — to sink
  21. drill — the tool
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. squash — the sport
  24. present — a gift

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