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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.

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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 · capital · hand · mouse · wake · lie · land

  1. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. land — a country
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. lie — to recline
  9. craft — a skill
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. saw — the tool
  12. capital — a city
  13. land — ground
  14. hand — help
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. land — to come down
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. saw — the tool
  19. craft — boats
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. capital — money
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. hand — in cards

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