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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: arm · file · capital · trunk · row · board · band · scale

  1. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. board — a committee
  3. capital — money
  4. band — a ring
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. file — a tool
  7. file — a line of people
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. band — a music group
  13. scale — in music
  14. scale — size or range
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. row — a line
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. board — to get on
  19. file — a document
  20. row — to paddle
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. capital — a city
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. board — a flat piece

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