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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.

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: rock · snap · spell · craft · cabinet · patient · capital · sharp

  1. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. capital — money
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. sharp — clever
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. snap — to click
  12. craft — boats
  13. rock — music
  14. spell — letters
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. spell — a short time
  19. craft — a skill
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. capital — a city
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. rock — a stone
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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