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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 116 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 · pitcher · mark · field · trunk · craft · squash · lie

  1. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. squash — to crush
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. craft — a skill
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. mark — a trace
  7. capital — a city
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. field — a subject
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. mark — a grade
  13. field — for sport
  14. field — farmland
  15. craft — boats
  16. squash — the sport
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. lie — to recline
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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