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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: craft · ruler · mark · capital · track · cold · wake · fork

  1. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. cold — not warm
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. wake — a trail
  9. ruler — a monarch
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. mark — a grade
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. craft — boats
  14. fork — in a road
  15. track — to keep track
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. track — a path
  18. mark — a trace
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. cold — an illness
  22. craft — a skill
  23. capital — a city
  24. capital — money

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