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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: bark · clip · jam · wound · court · squash · craft · press

  1. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  2. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  15. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. press — newspapers
  3. bark — to shout
  4. squash — to crush
  5. clip — for paper
  6. craft — boats
  7. court — of a king
  8. clip — to cut
  9. jam — in traffic
  10. clip — a video
  11. wound — an injury
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. jam — a tight spot
  15. jam — to spread on bread
  16. wound — an injury
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. squash — the sport
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. press — to push
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. court — of law
  23. press — a publisher
  24. court — for 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