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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. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. cap — a lid
  4. craft — a skill
  5. scale — in music
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. cap — of ice
  8. capital — money
  9. bank — for money
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. cap — a hat
  12. bank — for money
  13. bank — of a river
  14. lean — to bend
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. scale — size or range
  18. row — to paddle
  19. lean — thin
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. craft — boats
  23. row — a line
  24. mine — for digging

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