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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
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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: key · mark · dip · tear · hand · row · clip · craft

  1. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a handicraft
  2. tear — from crying
  3. craft — a skill
  4. mark — a trace
  5. hand — help
  6. row — a line
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. key — in music
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. hand — in cards
  13. mark — a grade
  14. dip — to sink
  15. clip — to cut
  16. tear — from crying
  17. craft — boats
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. tear — to rip
  20. clip — for paper
  21. row — to paddle
  22. clip — a video
  23. key — the most important part
  24. key — for a lock

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