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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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468
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: capital · bank · toast · degree · spell · ball · craft · root

  1. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. ball — a dance
  3. craft — boats
  4. capital — money
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. spell — a short time
  7. toast — a drink to someone
  8. capital — a city
  9. craft — a skill
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. bank — for money
  12. toast — the most admired
  13. ball — a great time
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. root — the cause
  16. spell — magic
  17. toast — bread
  18. root — of a word
  19. spell — letters
  20. degree — an amount
  21. bank — of a river
  22. degree — temperature
  23. degree — from a university
  24. root — of a plant

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