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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 116 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.

Words on the sheet
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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 · craft · ball · capital · mark · drill · stem · prune

  1. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a grade
  2. drill — army training
  3. drill — the tool
  4. prune — to trim
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. capital — a city
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. drill — a practice
  9. saw — the tool
  10. capital — money
  11. ball — a dance
  12. prune — to trim
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. stem — to come from
  16. mark — a trace
  17. craft — a skill
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. ball — a great time
  20. craft — boats
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. saw — the tool

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