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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 116 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 · safe · mug · craft · bat · tube · wind · bowl

  1. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. mug — a cup
  4. wind — moving air
  5. safe — a strongbox
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. mug — to rob
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. mug — a face
  11. craft — boats
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. bat — the animal
  15. wind — moving air
  16. capital — a city
  17. tube — the underground
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. craft — a skill
  21. capital — money
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. tube — a container
  24. craft — a handicraft

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