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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 120 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: cabinet · mark · craft · content · fine · clip · root · arm

  1. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. fine — high quality
  5. mark — a grade
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. mark — a trace
  9. craft — a skill
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. root — of a word
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. clip — to cut
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. content — happy
  17. fine — all right
  18. clip — a video
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. root — of a plant
  21. root — the cause
  22. craft — boats
  23. content — the amount
  24. fine — a penalty

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