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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.

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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 · cabinet · wake · degree · clip · net · track · safe

  1. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. wake — a trail
  4. clip — for paper
  5. track — a path
  6. craft — a skill
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. degree — from a university
  9. net — for catching
  10. net — after costs
  11. craft — boats
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. net — in sport
  15. track — to keep track
  16. track — a song
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. degree — an amount
  20. clip — a video
  21. safe — a strongbox
  22. degree — temperature
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. wake — before a funeral

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