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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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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: bank · trunk · capital · craft · cell · jam

  1. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. cell — in biology
  3. jam — in traffic
  4. bank — for money
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. craft — boats
  8. cell — a phone
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. capital — a city
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. jam — to spread on bread
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. jam — a tight spot
  16. bank — for money
  17. capital — money
  18. bank — of a river

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