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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 works in a ________________ mill.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. chair — a leader
  3. capital — a city
  4. saw — the tool
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. content — happy
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. capital — money
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. track — a path
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. track — a song
  15. track — to keep track
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. content — the amount
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. craft — boats
  21. stem — to come from
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. craft — a skill

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