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

Word bank: rash · craft · track · temple · bore · capital · wind · rest

  1. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. When was this ________________ built?
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. craft — a skill
  3. rash — a series
  4. bore — to drill
  5. track — a path
  6. craft — boats
  7. rest — what's left
  8. rash — hasty
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. capital — money
  11. capital — a city
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. wind — moving air
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. bore — to tire
  16. rest — a break
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. wind — moving air
  22. track — a song
  23. rest — what's left
  24. temple — side of the head

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