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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. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. I can't ________________ this cold.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. stand — for spectators
  3. clip — to cut
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. craft — boats
  6. hand — help
  7. prune — to trim
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. hand — in cards
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. rest — what's left
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. clip — a video
  16. clip — for paper
  17. prune — to trim
  18. object — a thing
  19. object — an aim
  20. rest — a break
  21. object — to protest
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. stand — to bear
  24. rest — what's left

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