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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: suit · object · clip · cold · drill · bound · fan · craft

  1. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. When will it ________________ you to start?
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. clip — to cut
  3. craft — a skill
  4. bound — obliged
  5. object — an aim
  6. bound — tied together
  7. craft — boats
  8. drill — army training
  9. suit — in cards
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. suit — clothes
  14. cold — not warm
  15. object — a thing
  16. clip — a video
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. bound — certain
  19. suit — to fit
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. cold — an illness
  22. clip — for paper
  23. object — to protest
  24. drill — the tool

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