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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. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a handicraft
  2. capital — a city
  3. craft — boats
  4. bound — tied together
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. current — electric
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. craft — a skill
  11. tear — to rip
  12. bound — obliged
  13. tear — from crying
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. bound — certain
  18. perch — the fish
  19. capital — money
  20. tear — from crying
  21. current — happening now
  22. current — of water
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. trunk — of a car

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