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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 120 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: trunk · bay · capital · file · craft · tear

  1. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. My mare is ________________ in color.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — to keep at bay
  2. capital — a city
  3. capital — money
  4. craft — boats
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. file — a tool
  7. tear — from crying
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. file — a document
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. bay — a horse colour
  13. file — a line of people
  14. craft — a skill
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. tear — to rip
  18. tear — from crying

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