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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: craft · bay · clip · bowl · capital · spring · bear · jam

  1. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. jam — in traffic
  3. spring — a coil
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. bear — the animal
  6. craft — a skill
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. jam — a tight spot
  9. clip — a video
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. clip — to cut
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. spring — the season
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. capital — a city
  18. bear — the animal
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. capital — money
  21. craft — boats
  22. spring — of water
  23. jam — to spread on bread
  24. clip — for paper

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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