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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: scale · craft · clip · suit · squash · board · capital · bark

  1. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. When will it ________________ you to start?
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. board — to get on
  5. suit — in cards
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. squash — the sport
  8. suit — clothes
  9. clip — a video
  10. craft — boats
  11. capital — a city
  12. suit — to fit
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. clip — to cut
  15. scale — size or range
  16. clip — for paper
  17. board — a committee
  18. bark — to shout
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. craft — a skill
  23. scale — in music
  24. squash — to crush

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