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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 120 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: craft · charge · cell · straw · fork · capital · wind · band

  1. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. cell — in biology
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. wind — moving air
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. charge — a price
  10. band — a ring
  11. band — a music group
  12. capital — money
  13. capital — a city
  14. charge — in control
  15. craft — boats
  16. fork — in a road
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. craft — a skill
  21. wind — moving air
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. charge — electricity
  24. capital — a big letter

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