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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 116 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: mark · bank · cap · land · craft · track · rule · spell

  1. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. track — to keep track
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. craft — a skill
  5. bank — for money
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. cap — of ice
  8. rule — a law
  9. land — ground
  10. mark — a trace
  11. cap — a hat
  12. cap — a lid
  13. spell — letters
  14. land — to come down
  15. track — a path
  16. mark — a grade
  17. track — a song
  18. bank — of a river
  19. spell — magic
  20. bank — for money
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. rule — government
  23. land — a country
  24. spell — a short time

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