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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: lash · cap · land · object · clip · ball · pitcher · craft

  1. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. craft — boats
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. cap — of ice
  5. cap — a lid
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. craft — a skill
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. clip — a video
  10. ball — a great time
  11. ball — a dance
  12. object — a thing
  13. land — ground
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. land — a country
  17. object — to protest
  18. clip — for paper
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. cap — a hat
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. object — an aim
  23. land — to come down
  24. pitcher — a jug

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