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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. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. capital — a city
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. plane — a tool
  9. squash — to crush
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. craft — boats
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. craft — a skill
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. pound — a weight
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. squash — the sport
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. rush — hurry

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