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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: bound · pitcher · fall · saw · stand · trunk · clip · craft

  1. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. clip — for paper
  3. fall — the season
  4. clip — to cut
  5. fall — to drop
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. saw — the tool
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. bound — tied together
  11. fall — to drop
  12. stand — to bear
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. saw — the tool
  16. craft — boats
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. bound — obliged
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. bound — certain
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. clip — a video
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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