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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. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  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. craft — a skill
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. tube — a container
  4. bank — for money
  5. capital — money
  6. press — newspapers
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. scale — in music
  10. bark — to shout
  11. capital — a city
  12. bank — for money
  13. scale — size or range
  14. club — for golf
  15. craft — boats
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. tube — the underground
  18. club — a group
  19. club — for dancing
  20. press — a publisher
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. press — to push
  23. bank — of a river
  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