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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 116 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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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: capital · band · last · mark · fork · trunk · pass · fall

  1. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. band — a ring
  3. capital — a city
  4. pass — to spend time
  5. fork — in a road
  6. last — finally
  7. mark — a grade
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. capital — money
  10. band — a music group
  11. last — final
  12. fall — the season
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. fall — to drop
  15. fall — to drop
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. pass — a permit
  21. last — to go on
  22. mark — a trace
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. capital — a big letter

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