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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 · cell · bay · jam · nail · mine · capital · ball

  1. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. jam — in traffic
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. capital — money
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. jam — a tight spot
  12. cell — a phone
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. cell — in biology
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. ball — a great time
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. ball — a dance
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. jam — to spread on bread
  23. capital — a city
  24. bay — a part 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