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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: lean · wake · craft · racket · clip · degree · can · fall

  1. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  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. clip — a video
  2. lean — to bend
  3. fall — to drop
  4. wake — a trail
  5. fall — the season
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. can — a tin
  10. fall — to drop
  11. can — to be able to
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. clip — to cut
  14. craft — a skill
  15. craft — boats
  16. lean — thin
  17. degree — from a university
  18. can — a tin
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. degree — temperature
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. degree — an amount
  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