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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. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. charge — in control
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. charge — a price
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. key — in music
  9. craft — boats
  10. land — to come down
  11. branch — a division
  12. charge — electricity
  13. tear — from crying
  14. tear — from crying
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. capital — money
  18. key — the most important part
  19. key — for a lock
  20. capital — a city
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. tear — to rip
  23. craft — a skill
  24. land — a country

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