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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: bass · clip · snap · face · tube · bulb · craft · mate

  1. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. 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. clip — to cut
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. tube — the underground
  5. tube — a container
  6. bulb — for light
  7. mate — to breed
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. craft — boats
  10. face — to confront
  11. bulb — for light
  12. face — part of the head
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. bass — the fish
  15. mate — a friend
  16. face — to point toward
  17. snap — to click
  18. bass — low music
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. mate — a partner
  23. clip — a video
  24. 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