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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: file · trunk · capital · roll · foot · craft · land · mug

  1. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. craft — boats
  3. land — a country
  4. roll — a cake
  5. foot — a measure
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. file — a tool
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. mug — to rob
  12. land — to come down
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. land — ground
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. capital — a city
  18. mug — a face
  19. craft — a skill
  20. capital — money
  21. mug — a cup
  22. file — a line of people
  23. file — a document
  24. roll — a list

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