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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 · craft · leaves · pit · spring · bowl · kid · bore

  1. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. capital — money
  3. bore — to tire
  4. spring — the season
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. spring — a coil
  8. pit — a hole
  9. craft — a skill
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. spring — of water
  12. bore — to drill
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. pit — in a race
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. capital — a city
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. kid — to tease
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. kid — child

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