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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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: rest · clip · lash · squash · craft · can · tube · land

  1. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. squash — to crush
  3. craft — a skill
  4. clip — for paper
  5. land — a country
  6. clip — to cut
  7. can — to be able to
  8. tube — the underground
  9. can — a tin
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. land — ground
  12. rest — what's left
  13. squash — the sport
  14. clip — a video
  15. craft — boats
  16. rest — a break
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. can — a tin
  19. tube — a container
  20. land — to come down
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. rest — what's left
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. lash — an eyelash

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