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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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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 · cap · bank · foot · stock · mine · pit · capital

  1. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. craft — a skill
  3. cap — a lid
  4. capital — money
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. bank — for money
  7. bank — for money
  8. cap — of ice
  9. stock — shares
  10. bank — of a river
  11. pit — a hole
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. stock — goods
  15. craft — boats
  16. mine — for digging
  17. pit — in a race
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. capital — a city
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. foot — a measure
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. mine — belonging to me

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