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

Word bank: rest · branch · lash · trunk · pound · stock · deal · capital

  1. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. capital — a city
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. rest — a break
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. branch — a division
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. pound — a weight
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. rest — what's left
  15. stock — goods
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. deal — to handle
  19. stock — shares
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. rest — what's left
  22. capital — money
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. stock — a soup base

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