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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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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: root · craft · leaves · clip · kick · club · snap · chip

  1. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. clip — to cut
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. craft — boats
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. root — of a word
  9. clip — for paper
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. chip — for betting
  12. root — the cause
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. kick — in football
  16. club — a group
  17. craft — a skill
  18. root — of a plant
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. snap — to click
  21. chip — to eat
  22. club — for dancing
  23. clip — a video
  24. leaves — lets stay

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