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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 116 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: clip · firm · mine · bound · craft · can · race · saw

  1. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. clip — a video
  3. bound — tied together
  4. firm — a company
  5. craft — a skill
  6. bound — certain
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. mine — for digging
  9. can — to be able to
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. saw — the tool
  12. can — a tin
  13. craft — boats
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. firm — decided
  16. race — the arms race
  17. firm — steady
  18. can — a tin
  19. race — humankind
  20. clip — for paper
  21. clip — to cut
  22. saw — the tool
  23. race — a contest
  24. bound — obliged

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