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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: clip · mouse · net · stick · wound · mug · craft · file

  1. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. net — in sport
  3. net — after costs
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. clip — to cut
  6. net — for catching
  7. craft — boats
  8. wound — an injury
  9. clip — a video
  10. file — a document
  11. file — a line of people
  12. mug — a cup
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. craft — a skill
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. mug — a face
  20. mug — to rob
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. file — a tool
  24. wound — an injury

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