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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a handicraft
  2. bark — to shout
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. race — humankind
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. capital — a city
  10. march — the month
  11. craft — boats
  12. mark — a trace
  13. pitch — completely
  14. march — the month
  15. craft — a skill
  16. race — a contest
  17. march — music
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. capital — money
  21. mark — a grade
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. stem — to come from
  24. race — the arms race

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