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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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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. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. foot — a measure
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. deal — to handle
  8. capital — a city
  9. root — of a word
  10. march — the month
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. march — the month
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. tube — the underground
  15. tube — a container
  16. branch — a division
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. root — of a plant
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. root — the cause
  24. march — music

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