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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
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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: craft · capital · date · bound · fan · cue · stock · wake

  1. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. craft — a skill
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. date — the fruit
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. capital — a city
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. stock — goods
  12. craft — boats
  13. cue — a signal
  14. bound — obliged
  15. capital — money
  16. wake — a trail
  17. cue — a hint
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. bound — certain
  22. bound — tied together
  23. cue — for pool
  24. capital — a big letter

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