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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: can · branch · capital · cap · staff · wax · bat · trunk

  1. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. staff — employees
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. staff — a stick
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. cap — a lid
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. can — a tin
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. capital — money
  13. cap — a hat
  14. can — to be able to
  15. can — a tin
  16. bat — the animal
  17. wax — to grow
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. cap — of ice
  20. capital — a city
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. staff — employees
  23. branch — a division
  24. trunk — of a car

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