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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: patient · craft · bass · track · roll · trunk · cap · capital

  1. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a list
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. cap — a hat
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. track — to keep track
  11. craft — a skill
  12. capital — a city
  13. roll — a cake
  14. bass — low music
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. cap — of ice
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. bass — the fish
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. track — a song
  21. craft — boats
  22. capital — money
  23. track — a path
  24. cap — a lid

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