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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 120 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: clip · craft · vault · fork · capital · bank · leaves · sharp

  1. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — in a road
  2. vault — a safe
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. clip — to cut
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. clip — for paper
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. sharp — clever
  12. craft — boats
  13. bank — of a river
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. bank — for money
  19. clip — a video
  20. bank — for money
  21. craft — a skill
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. capital — money
  24. capital — a city

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