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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: clip · snap · ball · bear · tear · craft · spell · toast

  1. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. clip — to cut
  3. craft — a skill
  4. ball — a dance
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. toast — the most admired
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. toast — bread
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. spell — a short time
  11. tear — from crying
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. snap — to click
  14. bear — the animal
  15. spell — magic
  16. toast — a drink to someone
  17. bear — the animal
  18. spell — letters
  19. ball — a great time
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. tear — to rip
  22. craft — boats
  23. clip — a video
  24. tear — from crying

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