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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  24. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. capital — money
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. craft — a skill
  7. craft — boats
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. hand — help
  10. bank — of a river
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. bat — the animal
  15. capital — a city
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. hand — in cards
  18. bank — for money
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  24. bank — for money

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