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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. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. fall — to drop
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. craft — boats
  5. press — newspapers
  6. ground — a position
  7. spring — the season
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. rush — hurry
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. ground — the earth
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. fall — to drop
  15. capital — money
  16. fall — the season
  17. press — to push
  18. spring — of water
  19. spring — a coil
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. ground — crushed
  22. press — a publisher
  23. capital — a city
  24. rush — to hurry

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