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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.

Make a worksheet

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: last · clip · season · file · wave · craft · staff · swing

  1. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. staff — employees
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. clip — to cut
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. last — to go on
  8. clip — a video
  9. file — a document
  10. craft — a skill
  11. swing — music
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. swing — to play on
  14. file — a line of people
  15. staff — employees
  16. staff — a stick
  17. season — of the year
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. swing — in golf
  20. last — final
  21. file — a tool
  22. season — in sport
  23. last — finally
  24. craft — boats

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