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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 116 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. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. branch — a division
  5. pound — a weight
  6. rash — hasty
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. rash — a series
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. capital — a city
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. squash — to crush
  19. squash — the sport
  20. wake — a trail
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. capital — money
  24. cabinet — ministers

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