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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 116 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: clip · charge · bark · pound · club · drill · pitcher · craft

  1. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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. craft — a skill
  4. charge — electricity
  5. clip — for paper
  6. charge — a price
  7. drill — army training
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. club — for dancing
  10. bark — to shout
  11. club — for golf
  12. drill — a practice
  13. drill — the tool
  14. clip — a video
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. clip — to cut
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. charge — in control
  22. pound — a weight
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. club — a group

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