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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. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. bound — tied together
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. root — of a plant
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. capital — money
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. craft — a skill
  11. kid — to tease
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. firm — decided
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. firm — steady
  16. kid — child
  17. firm — a company
  18. root — the cause
  19. root — of a word
  20. bound — obliged
  21. wax — to grow
  22. capital — a city
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. bound — certain

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