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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: capital · wind · row · cap · fork · craft · fine · fan

  1. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. cap — of ice
  3. fine — all right
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. craft — boats
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. cap — a lid
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. capital — money
  11. cap — a hat
  12. craft — a skill
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. wind — moving air
  16. capital — a city
  17. row — a line
  18. fine — high quality
  19. fork — in a road
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. row — to paddle
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. wind — moving air
  24. row — a quarrel

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