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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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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: field · trunk · wax · capital · chip · scale · board · stock

  1. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. capital — a city
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. scale — in music
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. capital — money
  8. chip — for betting
  9. chip — to eat
  10. board — a committee
  11. stock — shares
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. field — farmland
  14. wax — to grow
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. field — a subject
  17. stock — goods
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. scale — size or range
  20. field — for sport
  21. board — to get on
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. wax — in the ear

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