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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: leaves · craft · fork · bound · capital · bear · racket · degree

  1. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. craft — boats
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. degree — temperature
  9. degree — from a university
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. bear — the animal
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. capital — a city
  15. capital — money
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. fork — in a road
  18. bound — certain
  19. bound — tied together
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. craft — a skill
  23. bear — the animal
  24. degree — an amount

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