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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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. spring — the season
  3. craft — a skill
  4. craft — boats
  5. drill — a practice
  6. mark — a trace
  7. drill — army training
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. stand — to bear
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. pit — a hole
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. spring — of water
  17. capital — money
  18. capital — a city
  19. mark — a grade
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. drill — the tool
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. pit — in a race

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