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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 120 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. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. When will it ________________ you to start?
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. suit — in cards
  3. craft — a skill
  4. bound — tied together
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. suit — to fit
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. suit — clothes
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. kid — child
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. bear — the animal
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. bound — certain
  16. bound — obliged
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. kid — to tease
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. plane — a tool
  21. capital — money
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. bear — the animal
  24. capital — a city

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