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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.

Make a worksheet

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: craft · staff · fine · saw · capital · cell · march · lean

  1. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — a penalty
  2. staff — employees
  3. fine — high quality
  4. fine — all right
  5. lean — thin
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. staff — employees
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. staff — a stick
  11. saw — the tool
  12. march — the month
  13. saw — the tool
  14. capital — a city
  15. craft — boats
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. lean — to bend
  18. march — the month
  19. capital — money
  20. march — music
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. cell — a phone
  23. cell — in biology
  24. craft — a skill

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