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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. capital — a city
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. prune — to trim
  7. ruler — a monarch
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. prune — to trim
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. scale — in music
  14. fork — in a road
  15. branch — a division
  16. capital — money
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. scale — size or range
  24. trunk — of a car

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