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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. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. capital — money
  3. fine — all right
  4. craft — a skill
  5. capital — a city
  6. mate — a partner
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. fork — in a road
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. rash — hasty
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. fine — high quality
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. mate — a friend
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. bark — to shout
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. craft — boats
  20. mate — to breed
  21. stem — to come from
  22. rash — a series
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. capital — a big letter

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