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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
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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: rush · track · capital · trunk · mug · lean · current · file

  1. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. track — a song
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. track — a path
  5. track — to keep track
  6. file — a line of people
  7. current — of water
  8. capital — a city
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. mug — a face
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. current — electric
  14. lean — to bend
  15. mug — to rob
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. mug — a cup
  18. rush — hurry
  19. file — a tool
  20. current — happening now
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. lean — thin
  23. file — a document
  24. rush — a thrill

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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