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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: stick · clip · suit · capital · trunk · file · cap · fall

  1. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. When will it ________________ you to start?
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. fall — the season
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. clip — to cut
  6. capital — a city
  7. clip — for paper
  8. cap — a hat
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. cap — a lid
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. capital — money
  13. file — a line of people
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. file — a document
  16. suit — clothes
  17. fall — to drop
  18. suit — in cards
  19. clip — a video
  20. fall — to drop
  21. file — a tool
  22. suit — to fit
  23. cap — of ice
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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