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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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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: rock · pound · arm · capital · craft · wake · charge · wind

  1. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  23. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  24. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. capital — money
  4. charge — a price
  5. wind — moving air
  6. craft — boats
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. rock — music
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. capital — a city
  11. wind — moving air
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. charge — in control
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. wake — a trail
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. rock — a stone
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. craft — a skill
  23. charge — electricity
  24. arm — a part of something

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