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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: capital · craft · foot · jam · bark · stock · can · key

  1. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. can — to be able to
  3. foot — a measure
  4. jam — to spread on bread
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. stock — goods
  8. craft — boats
  9. bark — to shout
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. key — the most important part
  12. capital — money
  13. can — a tin
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. key — for a lock
  18. jam — in traffic
  19. craft — a skill
  20. jam — a tight spot
  21. key — in music
  22. can — a tin
  23. stock — shares
  24. stock — a soup base

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