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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. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. ground — a position
  3. content — the amount
  4. craft — a skill
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. club — for golf
  7. club — for dancing
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. content — happy
  10. capital — a city
  11. stem — to come from
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. club — a group
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. capital — money
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. ground — the earth
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. ground — crushed
  24. craft — boats

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