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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: staff · cell · craft · bank · content · cue · deal · capital

  1. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — of a river
  2. staff — a stick
  3. craft — a skill
  4. cue — a signal
  5. cell — a phone
  6. bank — for money
  7. cue — for pool
  8. staff — employees
  9. cell — in biology
  10. bank — for money
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. cue — a hint
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. staff — employees
  15. capital — money
  16. content — the amount
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. capital — a city
  20. content — happy
  21. craft — boats
  22. deal — to handle
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. deal — a big deal

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