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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: branch · capital · key · band · foot · trunk · face · leaves

  1. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. key — for a lock
  5. capital — a city
  6. band — a music group
  7. foot — a measure
  8. face — to confront
  9. branch — a division
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. capital — money
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. key — in music
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. face — to point toward
  22. band — a ring
  23. key — the most important part
  24. foot — the bottom

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