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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.

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: craft · squash · clip · can · march · degree · pitcher · bear

  1. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. can — a tin
  3. clip — a video
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. degree — from a university
  6. degree — temperature
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. craft — boats
  9. clip — to cut
  10. bear — the animal
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. can — a tin
  14. degree — an amount
  15. can — to be able to
  16. march — the month
  17. march — music
  18. march — the month
  19. bear — the animal
  20. craft — a skill
  21. squash — the sport
  22. clip — for paper
  23. squash — to crush
  24. pitcher — a jug

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