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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: pop · club · fine · branch · ruler · trunk · capital · rock

  1. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. pop — soda
  5. pop — music
  6. fine — all right
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. branch — a division
  10. fine — high quality
  11. club — for dancing
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. club — a group
  15. capital — a city
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. pop — to visit
  19. club — for golf
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. ruler — a monarch
  23. capital — money
  24. rock — a stone

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