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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: trunk · capital · season · nail · coach · mark · sharp · band

  1. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. capital — a city
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. capital — money
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. season — of the year
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. season — in sport
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. band — a music group
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. band — a ring
  19. mark — a trace
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. sharp — clever
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. mark — a grade
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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