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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: clip · rest · pound · wave · craft · capital · bound · calf

  1. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. pound — a weight
  3. capital — a city
  4. bound — obliged
  5. clip — for paper
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. bound — tied together
  9. rest — what's left
  10. rest — a break
  11. craft — boats
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. clip — a video
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. capital — money
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. clip — to cut
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. bound — certain
  24. rest — what's left

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