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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: file · bear · season · ball · press · snap · clip · craft

  1. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. bear — the animal
  3. press — to push
  4. file — a tool
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. bear — the animal
  7. snap — to click
  8. clip — a video
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. clip — to cut
  11. season — of the year
  12. season — in sport
  13. craft — a skill
  14. file — a line of people
  15. file — a document
  16. press — a publisher
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. ball — a dance
  19. clip — for paper
  20. press — newspapers
  21. ball — a great time
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. craft — a handicraft

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