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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: saw · clip · season · scale · wound · pitcher · wave · craft

  1. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — with your hand
  2. clip — for paper
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. season — of the year
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. scale — size or range
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. craft — boats
  13. scale — in music
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. craft — a skill
  16. wound — an injury
  17. saw — the tool
  18. clip — a video
  19. saw — the tool
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. wound — an injury
  23. clip — to cut
  24. season — in sport

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