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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: cabinet · game · wave · trunk · capital · mark · stand · pop

  1. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. capital — a city
  3. pop — soda
  4. capital — money
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. mark — a grade
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. pop — music
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. game — wild animals
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. mark — a trace
  19. stand — to bear
  20. pop — to visit
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. game — a match
  24. stand — on your feet

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