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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: craft · racket · object · bass · content · clip · tube · spring

  1. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. object — to protest
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. tube — a container
  5. tube — the underground
  6. object — a thing
  7. craft — a skill
  8. spring — a coil
  9. bass — the fish
  10. object — an aim
  11. content — the amount
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. spring — of water
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. clip — a video
  17. clip — for paper
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. spring — the season
  21. content — happy
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. craft — boats
  24. bass — low music

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