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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: chip · craft · degree · clip · stock · object · foot · trunk

  1. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. clip — to cut
  3. craft — boats
  4. degree — from a university
  5. degree — temperature
  6. clip — a video
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. chip — to eat
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. chip — for betting
  15. craft — a skill
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. stock — goods
  18. degree — an amount
  19. clip — for paper
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. stock — shares
  22. object — a thing
  23. object — an aim
  24. foot — a measure

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