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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: mug · capital · fork · spring · stock · craft · bound · bat

  1. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  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. spring — a coil
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. mug — a cup
  5. capital — a city
  6. craft — boats
  7. bound — tied together
  8. spring — of water
  9. stock — goods
  10. mug — a face
  11. bound — certain
  12. bat — the animal
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. fork — in a road
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. bound — obliged
  18. mug — to rob
  19. capital — money
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. stock — shares
  22. spring — the season
  23. craft — a skill
  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