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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 116 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. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. charge — electricity
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. capital — a city
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. craft — a skill
  7. bark — to shout
  8. ball — a dance
  9. ball — a great time
  10. charge — a price
  11. bore — to drill
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. clip — for paper
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. capital — money
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. charge — in control
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. clip — a video
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. bore — to tire
  23. clip — to cut
  24. craft — a handicraft

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