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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. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. cap — a lid
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. band — a ring
  6. object — a thing
  7. craft — a skill
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. capital — a city
  10. bark — to shout
  11. capital — money
  12. cap — of ice
  13. net — after costs
  14. net — in sport
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. object — to protest
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. kick — in football
  19. cap — a hat
  20. net — for catching
  21. band — a music group
  22. object — an aim
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. kick — with a leg

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