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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.

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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: game · craft · saw · capital · stand · tube · kick · fall

  1. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. game — a match
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. fall — to drop
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. capital — money
  9. saw — the tool
  10. game — wild animals
  11. tube — a container
  12. stand — to bear
  13. craft — a skill
  14. saw — the tool
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. fall — the season
  19. capital — a city
  20. tube — the underground
  21. craft — boats
  22. kick — in football
  23. fall — to drop
  24. tube — in a tire

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