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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: trunk · branch · wave · lash · capital · field · temple · chair

  1. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. capital — a city
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. field — for sport
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. field — farmland
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. field — a subject
  18. chair — a leader
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. capital — money
  23. branch — a division
  24. trunk — of a tree

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