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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: snap · craft · stick · jam · clip · date · row · object

  1. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. Tom got himself in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. object — to protest
  3. jam — in traffic
  4. object — a thing
  5. row — to paddle
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. jam — to spread on bread
  8. craft — a skill
  9. snap — to click
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. object — an aim
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. clip — for paper
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. clip — a video
  18. date — the fruit
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. craft — boats
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. clip — to cut
  24. jam — a tight spot

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