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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. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. capital — a city
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. clip — for paper
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. craft — a skill
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. clip — a video
  12. spell — letters
  13. clip — to cut
  14. capital — money
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. spell — magic
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. perch — the fish
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. spell — a short time
  24. temple — a place of worship

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