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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 120 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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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 · bowl · stem · fork · clip · court · wake · swing

  1. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. craft — boats
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. craft — a skill
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. clip — to cut
  7. swing — in golf
  8. wake — a trail
  9. clip — a video
  10. stem — to come from
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. court — for sport
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. clip — for paper
  16. swing — music
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. court — of law
  20. swing — to play on
  21. fork — in a road
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. fork — a garden tool

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