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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. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. I can't ________________ this cold.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. capital — a city
  3. bat — the animal
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. bulb — for light
  7. craft — boats
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. net — for catching
  10. stem — to come from
  11. capital — money
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. net — after costs
  17. bulb — for light
  18. net — in sport
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. hand — in cards
  23. stand — to bear
  24. hand — help

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