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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 120 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: cap · tube · rest · racket · branch · track · trunk · march

  1. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. branch — a division
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. rest — what's left
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. tube — a container
  9. march — the month
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. track — to keep track
  12. track — a song
  13. tube — the underground
  14. march — music
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. march — the month
  19. rest — a break
  20. cap — of ice
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. track — a path
  23. cap — a lid
  24. rest — what's left

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