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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 116 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: craft · hide · stock · drill · fan · clip · bowl · saw

  1. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. stock — goods
  3. clip — a video
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. saw — the tool
  8. stock — shares
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. drill — the tool
  12. saw — the tool
  13. craft — a skill
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. clip — for paper
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. drill — army training
  19. clip — to cut
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. craft — boats
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. drill — a practice
  24. bowl — a football final

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