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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: clip · content · spell · staff · wind · craft · roll · wax

  1. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a handicraft
  2. wax — to grow
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. clip — a video
  5. clip — for paper
  6. spell — letters
  7. content — happy
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. craft — boats
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. staff — a stick
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. wind — moving air
  14. roll — a list
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. spell — a short time
  17. staff — employees
  18. craft — a skill
  19. roll — a cake
  20. wind — moving air
  21. staff — employees
  22. clip — to cut
  23. content — the amount
  24. spell — magic

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