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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: date · craft · last · tear · rush · wound · capital · cabinet

  1. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. rush — hurry
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. date — the fruit
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. craft — a skill
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. capital — money
  10. capital — a city
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. wound — an injury
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. last — finally
  15. tear — to rip
  16. tear — from crying
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. last — to go on
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. craft — boats
  22. wound — an injury
  23. tear — from crying
  24. last — final

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