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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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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: lean · bear · fork · capital · cell · rush · stand · craft

  1. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. craft — boats
  4. cell — in biology
  5. lean — thin
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. craft — a skill
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. cell — a phone
  13. capital — a city
  14. bear — the animal
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. fork — in a road
  17. stand — to bear
  18. bear — the animal
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. capital — money
  22. lean — to bend
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. stand — on your feet

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