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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: bear · craft · stand · chair · clip · pit

  1. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. clip — to cut
  3. bear — the animal
  4. craft — boats
  5. bear — the animal
  6. clip — a video
  7. chair — a leader
  8. craft — a skill
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. pit — a hole
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. pit — in a race
  16. clip — for paper
  17. stand — to bear
  18. pit — a fruit stone

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