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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: root · toast · bear · craft · capital · racket

  1. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. craft — a skill
  3. toast — a drink to someone
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. craft — boats
  7. capital — money
  8. root — the cause
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. toast — bread
  12. root — of a plant
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. capital — a city
  16. root — of a word
  17. bear — the animal
  18. bear — the animal

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