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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: safe · capital · dip · perch · stock · craft · scale · trunk

  1. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. stock — shares
  3. capital — money
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. stock — goods
  12. capital — a city
  13. craft — boats
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. craft — a skill
  16. scale — in music
  17. dip — to sink
  18. scale — size or range
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. perch — the fish
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. trunk — of a car

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