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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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Word bank
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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: craft · rock · squash · cell · clip · swing

  1. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a handicraft
  2. swing — to play on
  3. cell — in biology
  4. craft — a skill
  5. clip — to cut
  6. swing — in golf
  7. squash — the sport
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. craft — boats
  10. cell — a phone
  11. swing — music
  12. squash — to crush
  13. rock — music
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. clip — for paper
  16. rock — a stone
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. clip — a video

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