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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: fan · kid · craft · clip · wake · prune · rock · pit

  1. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. rock — a stone
  4. clip — a video
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. rock — music
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. clip — to cut
  13. pit — a hole
  14. kid — child
  15. wake — a trail
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. pit — in a race
  19. kid — to tease
  20. prune — to trim
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. craft — boats
  23. prune — to trim
  24. clip — for paper

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