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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 · roll · wax · cell · bark · leaves · club

  1. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. craft — a skill
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. club — a group
  5. capital — a city
  6. roll — a cake
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. cell — in biology
  9. club — for dancing
  10. craft — boats
  11. club — for golf
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. wax — to grow
  16. roll — a list
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. capital — money
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. bark — to shout
  24. cell — a phone

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