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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 · fork · pop · bay · clip · hand · stem · object

  1. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. stem — to come from
  3. object — to protest
  4. hand — in cards
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. bay — to keep at bay
  9. craft — boats
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. object — an aim
  13. hand — help
  14. pop — music
  15. fork — in a road
  16. object — a thing
  17. pop — soda
  18. clip — a video
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. craft — a skill
  21. clip — to cut
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. pop — to visit

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