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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: present · fall · wind · capital · ball · spell · prune · craft

  1. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. ball — a dance
  3. present — there
  4. wind — moving air
  5. craft — a skill
  6. wind — moving air
  7. spell — letters
  8. capital — a city
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. present — a gift
  11. fall — the season
  12. spell — magic
  13. craft — boats
  14. ball — a great time
  15. prune — to trim
  16. present — the time now
  17. fall — to drop
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. fall — to drop
  20. capital — money
  21. spell — a short time
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. prune — to trim

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