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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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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: craft · current · bound · stick · wake · scale · capital · mate

  1. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. scale — in music
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. wake — a trail
  8. mate — a partner
  9. bound — tied together
  10. craft — a skill
  11. bound — obliged
  12. mate — to breed
  13. mate — a friend
  14. scale — size or range
  15. current — happening now
  16. capital — money
  17. current — of water
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. craft — boats
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. current — electric
  23. capital — a city
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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