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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
468
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: wound · sharp · craft · lie · game · capital · band · stick

  1. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. stick — to attach or keep to
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. band — a music group
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. capital — money
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. craft — boats
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. game — a match
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. lie — to recline
  17. wound — an injury
  18. wound — an injury
  19. craft — a skill
  20. capital — a city
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. sharp — clever
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. game — wild animals

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