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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: straw · capital · spring · bark · snap · foot · temple · craft

  1. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. spring — a coil
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. capital — a city
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. spring — of water
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. craft — boats
  17. snap — to click
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. spring — the season
  20. craft — a skill
  21. foot — a measure
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. bark — to shout

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