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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 beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. board — a committee
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. craft — boats
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. branch — a division
  9. capital — money
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. craft — a skill
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. tube — the underground
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. capital — a city
  21. board — to get on
  22. tube — a container
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. trunk — of a tree

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