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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 · race · fine · racket · net · wake · stem · clip

  1. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. craft — a skill
  4. race — humankind
  5. fine — all right
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. wake — a trail
  9. race — a contest
  10. fine — high quality
  11. net — in sport
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. clip — for paper
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. race — the arms race
  17. clip — a video
  18. net — after costs
  19. stem — to come from
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. net — for catching
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. clip — to cut

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