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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 · present · object · clip · cap · charge · bore · pop

  1. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. clip — for paper
  3. craft — a skill
  4. cap — of ice
  5. charge — a price
  6. clip — a video
  7. object — a thing
  8. present — there
  9. cap — a hat
  10. charge — electricity
  11. present — a gift
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. bore — to tire
  14. charge — in control
  15. bore — to drill
  16. cap — a lid
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. craft — boats
  19. object — an aim
  20. pop — to visit
  21. pop — soda
  22. pop — music
  23. clip — to cut
  24. present — the time now

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