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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. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. capital — money
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. bore — to drill
  7. content — the amount
  8. bank — of a river
  9. capital — a city
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. bat — the animal
  13. bank — for money
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. content — happy
  18. bank — for money
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. bore — to tire
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. content — videos and posts

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