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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 124 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. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. bank — for money
  4. capital — money
  5. deal — to handle
  6. craft — boats
  7. craft — a skill
  8. capital — a city
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. spell — letters
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. bank — of a river
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. squash — the sport
  16. bank — for money
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. mine — for digging
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. spell — a short time
  22. squash — to crush
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. lie — to recline

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