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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.

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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: craft · bulb · rest · wake · pitcher · chip · clip · net

  1. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. bulb — for light
  4. net — for catching
  5. chip — to eat
  6. craft — a skill
  7. clip — to cut
  8. rest — what's left
  9. chip — for betting
  10. net — in sport
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. clip — for paper
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. bulb — for light
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. clip — a video
  18. net — after costs
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. craft — boats
  22. wake — a trail
  23. rest — a break
  24. pitcher — a jug

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