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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: saw · spell · capital · last · craft · fall · deal · shower

  1. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  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. last — final
  2. shower — to wash
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. spell — letters
  5. craft — boats
  6. shower — rain
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. last — to go on
  9. fall — to drop
  10. spell — magic
  11. capital — a city
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. capital — money
  15. deal — to handle
  16. fall — to drop
  17. saw — the tool
  18. last — finally
  19. fall — the season
  20. craft — a skill
  21. spell — a short time
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. saw — the tool
  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