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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: bear · capital · degree · track · bank · craft · pitcher · saw

  1. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. bank — for money
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. track — to keep track
  5. bear — the animal
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. craft — boats
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. bank — of a river
  10. degree — temperature
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. craft — a skill
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. degree — from a university
  15. saw — the tool
  16. bank — for money
  17. capital — a city
  18. saw — the tool
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. degree — an amount
  21. bear — the animal
  22. capital — money
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. track — a path

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