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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: fan · deal · capital · trunk · plane · last · date · track

  1. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. Have you settled on a ________________?
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. track — a song
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. capital — a city
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. last — finally
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. last — to go on
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. capital — money
  15. plane — a tool
  16. track — a path
  17. track — to keep track
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. last — final
  21. deal — to handle
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. date — the fruit

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