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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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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: bank · content · chair · capital · board · kid · craft · tear

  1. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. capital — money
  3. tear — to rip
  4. craft — boats
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. bank — for money
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. kid — child
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. craft — a skill
  12. chair — a leader
  13. tear — from crying
  14. tear — from crying
  15. content — the amount
  16. content — happy
  17. kid — to tease
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. board — to get on
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. bank — of a river
  23. capital — a city
  24. board — a committee

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