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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: capital · net · arm · lash · band · craft · current · pit

  1. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. pit — a hole
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. capital — money
  5. net — in sport
  6. pit — in a race
  7. net — for catching
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. capital — a city
  10. band — a ring
  11. net — after costs
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. craft — boats
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. current — happening now
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. current — electric
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. band — a music group
  23. current — of water
  24. craft — a skill

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