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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: mug · clip · squash · saw · date · trunk · bulb · craft

  1. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. saw — the tool
  4. squash — to crush
  5. squash — the sport
  6. date — the fruit
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. clip — for paper
  9. craft — boats
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. mug — a cup
  12. bulb — for light
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. bulb — for light
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. saw — the tool
  17. clip — a video
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. mug — to rob
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. clip — to cut
  23. craft — a skill
  24. bulb — of a plant

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