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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: rush · staff · capital · trunk · wave · mouse · march · branch

  1. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. staff — employees
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. march — the month
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. march — music
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. branch — a division
  15. capital — a city
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. capital — money
  20. staff — a stick
  21. rush — hurry
  22. march — the month
  23. staff — employees
  24. wave — of the sea

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