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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: game · hand · capital · rash · craft · rest · bulb · trunk

  1. The light ________________ burned out.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. bulb — for light
  6. capital — a city
  7. rash — hasty
  8. craft — a skill
  9. hand — help
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. craft — boats
  12. rest — what's left
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. rest — what's left
  15. capital — money
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. rash — a series
  19. game — wild animals
  20. rest — a break
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. hand — in cards
  24. game — a match

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