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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: mine · perch · clip · bore · fan · craft · stand · saw

  1. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. I can't ________________ this cold.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. saw — the tool
  3. craft — a skill
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. craft — boats
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. bore — to tire
  10. bore — to drill
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. clip — to cut
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. clip — a video
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. clip — for paper
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. stand — to bear
  22. perch — the fish
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. saw — the tool

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