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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: saw · wound · key · fine · wake · march · craft · cap

  1. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. key — the most important part
  3. saw — the tool
  4. craft — a skill
  5. march — the month
  6. march — music
  7. march — the month
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. cap — a lid
  11. craft — boats
  12. saw — the tool
  13. cap — a hat
  14. wound — an injury
  15. cap — of ice
  16. fine — high quality
  17. key — in music
  18. wound — an injury
  19. key — for a lock
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. wake — a trail
  24. fine — all right

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