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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 120 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: hand · clip · season · bowl · craft · mark · can · bass

  1. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. season — in sport
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. mark — a trace
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. can — to be able to
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. clip — to cut
  10. can — a tin
  11. can — a tin
  12. hand — help
  13. craft — boats
  14. bass — low music
  15. clip — for paper
  16. craft — a skill
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. hand — in cards
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. mark — a grade
  22. bass — the fish
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. season — of the year

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