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

Word bank: capital · deal · chip · last · cell · tube · wake · craft

  1. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. cell — a phone
  5. deal — to handle
  6. craft — boats
  7. tube — the underground
  8. tube — a container
  9. chip — to eat
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. craft — a skill
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. last — to go on
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. cell — in biology
  18. chip — for betting
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. last — finally
  21. capital — a city
  22. capital — money
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. last — final

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