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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: deal · craft · staff · temple · wind · clip

  1. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a handicraft
  2. craft — boats
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. clip — for paper
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. clip — a video
  8. deal — to handle
  9. wind — moving air
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. wind — moving air
  12. staff — employees
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. staff — employees
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. staff — a stick
  17. craft — a skill
  18. clip — to cut

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