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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: staff · racket · craft · mark · shower · capital · saw · fan

  1. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. shower — to wash
  3. saw — the tool
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. shower — rain
  8. capital — money
  9. craft — boats
  10. mark — a trace
  11. capital — a city
  12. staff — employees
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. staff — a stick
  15. craft — a skill
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. saw — the tool
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. mark — a grade
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. craft — a handicraft

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