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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. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. march — music
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. tube — a container
  6. craft — boats
  7. tube — the underground
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. craft — a skill
  10. march — the month
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. wake — a trail
  13. mark — a trace
  14. march — the month
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. bear — the animal
  17. capital — a city
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. bear — the animal
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. mark — a grade

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