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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: capital · wake · squash · fan · lie · trunk · fine · craft

  1. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. fine — all right
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. lie — to recline
  7. craft — boats
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. squash — the sport
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. capital — a city
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. craft — a skill
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. wake — a trail
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. fine — high quality
  24. squash — to crush

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