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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 120 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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: rock · dip · plane · capital · craft · land · calf · march

  1. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. craft — boats
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. plane — a tool
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. capital — money
  10. march — the month
  11. craft — a skill
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. land — a country
  15. dip — to sink
  16. land — ground
  17. rock — a stone
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. land — to come down
  20. march — the month
  21. rock — music
  22. march — music
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. plane — in geometry

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