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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. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. band — a music group
  3. craft — a skill
  4. branch — a division
  5. wound — an injury
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. capital — a city
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. craft — boats
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. wound — an injury
  18. band — a ring
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. fine — high quality
  23. fine — all right
  24. craft — a handicraft

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