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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: jam · bear · craft · plane · clip · stock · file · cold

  1. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  19. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. plane — a tool
  4. clip — to cut
  5. jam — a tight spot
  6. craft — boats
  7. stock — shares
  8. cold — an illness
  9. bear — the animal
  10. stock — goods
  11. clip — a video
  12. jam — in traffic
  13. bear — the animal
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. craft — a skill
  16. file — a line of people
  17. file — a tool
  18. craft — a handicraft
  19. jam — to spread on bread
  20. cold — not warm
  21. clip — for paper
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. plane — in geometry

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