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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: mine · clip · hide · snap · craft · mug · current · temple

  1. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. clip — for paper
  5. clip — a video
  6. snap — to click
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. mine — for digging
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. clip — to cut
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. current — of water
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. mug — a face
  15. current — happening now
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. mug — a cup
  18. temple — side of the head
  19. current — electric
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. mug — to rob
  24. craft — a skill

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