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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: vault · clip · wake · craft · racket · present

  1. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. clip — to cut
  7. present — the time now
  8. wake — a trail
  9. clip — a video
  10. craft — boats
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. present — there
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. vault — a safe
  17. present — a gift
  18. clip — for paper

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