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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: capital · present · march · fan · bear · shower · last · craft

  1. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. shower — rain
  3. march — music
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. capital — money
  8. last — finally
  9. last — to go on
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. march — the month
  12. bear — the animal
  13. bear — the animal
  14. march — the month
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. present — the time now
  17. shower — to wash
  18. craft — boats
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. present — there
  21. craft — a skill
  22. capital — a city
  23. present — a gift
  24. last — final

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