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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: bank · capital · cold · craft · rash · net · snap · suit

  1. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. When will it ________________ you to start?
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  23. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. rash — a series
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. net — in sport
  6. cold — an illness
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. net — after costs
  9. capital — money
  10. bank — for money
  11. suit — clothes
  12. craft — a skill
  13. bank — of a river
  14. net — for catching
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. suit — to fit
  17. snap — to click
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. rash — hasty
  20. capital — a city
  21. cold — not warm
  22. suit — in cards
  23. bank — for money
  24. craft — a handicraft

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