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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. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. We're on a ________________ here.
  8. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. capital — money
  3. capital — a city
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. craft — a skill
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. roll — on a roll
  8. roll — a cake
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. lean — thin
  12. craft — boats
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. roll — a list
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. field — farmland
  19. field — a subject
  20. tube — a container
  21. tube — the underground
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. field — for sport

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