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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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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: band · clip · stick · saw · fork · craft · snap · present

  1. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. present — the time now
  3. fork — in a road
  4. band — a music group
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. present — there
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. saw — the tool
  9. present — a gift
  10. band — a ring
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. clip — for paper
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. clip — to cut
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. clip — a video
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. craft — a handicraft
  19. saw — the tool
  20. craft — a skill
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. snap — to click
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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