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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: pitcher · suit · staff · cap · craft · trunk · hand · mine

  1. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. When will it ________________ you to start?
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. hand — in cards
  3. staff — a stick
  4. suit — clothes
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. suit — in cards
  7. cap — of ice
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. craft — a skill
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. mine — for digging
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. cap — a hat
  18. suit — to fit
  19. craft — boats
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. cap — a lid
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. staff — employees
  24. staff — employees

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