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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: craft · fan · hand · foot · rush · stick · clip · staff

  1. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. craft — boats
  3. craft — a skill
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. hand — help
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. staff — a stick
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. clip — for paper
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. foot — a measure
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. staff — employees
  17. rush — hurry
  18. clip — a video
  19. staff — employees
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. clip — to cut
  23. hand — in cards
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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