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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: bear · scale · rock · fall · clip · pit · net · craft

  1. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. bear — the animal
  3. clip — a video
  4. clip — to cut
  5. craft — boats
  6. clip — for paper
  7. scale — size or range
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. net — for catching
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. craft — a skill
  12. net — after costs
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. fall — to drop
  15. rock — music
  16. fall — to drop
  17. fall — the season
  18. net — in sport
  19. scale — in music
  20. pit — in a race
  21. pit — a hole
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. rock — a 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