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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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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: deal · trunk · tear · bat · fork · can · face · capital

  1. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. can — to be able to
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. deal — to handle
  9. tear — from crying
  10. tear — from crying
  11. tear — to rip
  12. capital — a city
  13. bat — the animal
  14. can — a tin
  15. face — to point toward
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. face — to confront
  18. can — a tin
  19. face — part of the head
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. fork — in a road
  24. deal — a big deal

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