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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. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a part of the sea
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. sharp — clever
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. craft — boats
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. capital — a city
  16. tube — a container
  17. tear — to rip
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. tube — the underground
  20. craft — a skill
  21. capital — money
  22. tear — from crying
  23. tear — from crying
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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