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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: arm · capital · bore · can · court · lean · trunk · bass

  1. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. court — of law
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. court — for sport
  5. bore — to drill
  6. court — of a king
  7. bass — the fish
  8. lean — thin
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. capital — money
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. can — a tin
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. bore — to tire
  18. can — to be able to
  19. can — a tin
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. lean — to bend
  22. bass — low music
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. capital — a big letter

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