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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: cap · coach · can · field · rest · branch · trunk · arm

  1. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. can — a tin
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. can — to be able to
  6. cap — of ice
  7. branch — a division
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. cap — a hat
  10. rest — a break
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. field — a subject
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. can — a tin
  17. field — farmland
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. rest — what's left
  20. field — for sport
  21. rest — what's left
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. cap — a lid
  24. arm — a part of something

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