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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. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. ground — crushed
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. band — a ring
  6. stem — to come from
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. ground — a position
  10. capital — a city
  11. capital — money
  12. craft — a skill
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. saw — the tool
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. vault — a safe
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. saw — the tool
  20. band — a music group
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. ground — the earth
  24. deal — to handle

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