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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 120 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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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: cold · bank · squash · capital · bowl · deal · craft · trunk

  1. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. bank — for money
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. capital — money
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. capital — a city
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. deal — to handle
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. squash — to crush
  12. craft — boats
  13. bank — for money
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. craft — a skill
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. cold — not warm
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. squash — the sport
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. bank — of a river
  24. capital — a big letter

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