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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: lean · bark · bay · sharp · jam · rest · clip · craft

  1. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. My mare is ________________ in color.
  24. Would you like some apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. jam — a tight spot
  3. sharp — clever
  4. jam — in traffic
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. clip — for paper
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. clip — a video
  10. clip — to cut
  11. craft — a skill
  12. rest — a break
  13. lean — to bend
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. rest — what's left
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. bark — to shout
  19. craft — boats
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. rest — what's left
  23. bay — a horse colour
  24. jam — to spread on bread

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