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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 120 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: craft · kid · dip · capital · bank · trunk · bass · cue

  1. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. dip — to sink
  4. cue — a signal
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. bass — the fish
  7. capital — money
  8. bass — low music
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. capital — a city
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. cue — for pool
  13. kid — to tease
  14. kid — child
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. bank — of a river
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. bank — for money
  20. craft — boats
  21. cue — a hint
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. craft — a skill

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