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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: clip · craft · chip · mouse · land · prune · lash · spell

  1. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. spell — magic
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. spell — a short time
  5. land — to come down
  6. chip — for betting
  7. clip — to cut
  8. craft — a skill
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. spell — letters
  15. clip — a video
  16. clip — for paper
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. prune — to trim
  19. craft — boats
  20. land — ground
  21. prune — to trim
  22. chip — to eat
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. mouse — for a computer

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