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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. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. hand — in cards
  3. craft — a skill
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. field — a subject
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. squash — to crush
  10. capital — money
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. stem — to come from
  15. squash — the sport
  16. pit — a hole
  17. hand — help
  18. field — for sport
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. pit — in a race
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. capital — a city
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. field — farmland

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