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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: fork · mate · scale · cap · bark · chip · capital · trunk

  1. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — in music
  2. cap — a hat
  3. chip — to eat
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. cap — a lid
  6. capital — money
  7. bark — to shout
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. mate — to breed
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. cap — of ice
  12. mate — a friend
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. chip — for betting
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. mate — a partner
  21. capital — a city
  22. scale — size or range
  23. fork — in a road
  24. trunk — of a tree

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