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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: rest · capital · fine · perch · trunk · branch · fall · bore

  1. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. perch — the fish
  4. fine — high quality
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. fall — to drop
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. branch — a division
  11. capital — money
  12. bore — to tire
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. fall — to drop
  15. bore — to drill
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. fall — the season
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. capital — a city
  20. rest — what's left
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. fine — all right
  23. rest — a break
  24. fine — a penalty

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