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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: staff · hide · snap · craft · stock · track · clip · fine

  1. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. craft — boats
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. staff — employees
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. fine — all right
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. fine — high quality
  12. track — a song
  13. track — a path
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. clip — a video
  16. staff — a stick
  17. snap — to click
  18. stock — shares
  19. clip — to cut
  20. stock — goods
  21. clip — for paper
  22. staff — employees
  23. track — to keep track
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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