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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. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. wake — a trail
  5. rest — a break
  6. capital — money
  7. rock — music
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. rest — what's left
  11. rock — a stone
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. craft — boats
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. capital — a city
  17. press — to push
  18. press — a publisher
  19. band — a ring
  20. rest — what's left
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. band — a music group
  24. press — newspapers

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