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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: clip · march · prune · bore · craft · capital · racket · club

  1. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a handicraft
  2. craft — a skill
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. march — the month
  5. capital — a city
  6. club — for dancing
  7. clip — to cut
  8. march — the month
  9. capital — money
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. march — music
  12. bore — to drill
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. club — a group
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. club — for golf
  17. clip — a video
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. craft — boats
  20. prune — to trim
  21. prune — to trim
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. bore — to tire
  24. clip — for paper

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