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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: rest · pop · clip · craft · bark · object · sharp · board

  1. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. board — to get on
  3. rest — what's left
  4. clip — to cut
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. object — to protest
  9. bark — to shout
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. craft — boats
  12. rest — what's left
  13. object — an aim
  14. object — a thing
  15. pop — music
  16. pop — to visit
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. clip — a video
  19. clip — for paper
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. board — a committee
  22. rest — a break
  23. craft — a skill
  24. pop — soda

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