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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. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. cap — a hat
  3. track — a path
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. bank — for money
  6. lie — to recline
  7. bank — of a river
  8. band — a music group
  9. cap — a lid
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. bank — for money
  12. dip — to sink
  13. cap — of ice
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. capital — a city
  18. track — to keep track
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. band — a ring
  22. track — a song
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. capital — money

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