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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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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: wind · craft · leaves · bear · charge · capital · wave · chest

  1. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. chest — a box
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. chest — of your body
  5. capital — money
  6. charge — a price
  7. chest — of your body
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. bear — the animal
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. charge — electricity
  12. craft — a skill
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. wind — moving air
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. wind — moving air
  17. capital — a city
  18. charge — in control
  19. craft — boats
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. bear — the animal

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