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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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. bark — to shout
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. capital — money
  9. rest — what's left
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. craft — a skill
  12. stock — shares
  13. rest — what's left
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. pound — a weight
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. rest — a break
  19. saw — the tool
  20. capital — a city
  21. craft — boats
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. stock — goods
  24. bark — of a tree

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