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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: court · capital · craft · nail · date · rush · bank · bulb

  1. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. bulb — for light
  7. bank — for money
  8. craft — a skill
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. court — for sport
  12. court — of law
  13. craft — boats
  14. court — of a king
  15. bank — for money
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. bank — of a river
  20. rush — hurry
  21. date — the fruit
  22. capital — money
  23. bulb — for light
  24. rush — a thrill

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