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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: snap · leaves · capital · track · fan · trunk · present · calf

  1. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  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. capital — a big letter
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. present — there
  4. capital — money
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. capital — a city
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. present — a gift
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. track — a path
  16. track — to keep track
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. snap — to click
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. present — the time now
  23. track — a song
  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