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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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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. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. capital — a city
  4. plane — a tool
  5. craft — a skill
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. sharp — clever
  10. tube — the underground
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. spring — of water
  13. spring — a coil
  14. capital — money
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. spring — the season
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. craft — boats
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. tube — a container

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