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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 · saw · tube · clip · tear · can · mark · pop

  1. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a grade
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. pop — music
  4. can — a tin
  5. craft — boats
  6. pop — soda
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. saw — the tool
  9. tear — from crying
  10. clip — a video
  11. clip — for paper
  12. craft — a skill
  13. can — a tin
  14. saw — the tool
  15. clip — to cut
  16. mark — a trace
  17. can — to be able to
  18. tube — a container
  19. tear — to rip
  20. tear — from crying
  21. tube — the underground
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. pop — to visit

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