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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: capital · trunk · bulb · patient · branch · tube · can · degree

  1. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. can — to be able to
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. bulb — for light
  8. degree — from a university
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. tube — the underground
  12. capital — a city
  13. degree — temperature
  14. degree — an amount
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. can — a tin
  18. can — a tin
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. tube — a container
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. capital — money
  23. bulb — for light
  24. trunk — of a tree

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