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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: fork · craft · cap · sharp · bark · stand · clip · lie

  1. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. I can't ________________ this cold.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. cap — a lid
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. fork — in a road
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. bark — to shout
  10. cap — of ice
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. clip — for paper
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. lie — to recline
  15. clip — to cut
  16. sharp — clever
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. craft — a skill
  19. cap — a hat
  20. craft — boats
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. stand — to bear
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. clip — a video

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