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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 · mouse · present · date · saw · capital · cap · bay

  1. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. My mare is ________________ in color.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. saw — the tool
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. bay — a part of the sea
  5. date — the fruit
  6. capital — a city
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. present — there
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. cap — a lid
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. saw — the tool
  17. present — the time now
  18. cap — a hat
  19. present — a gift
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. bay — a horse colour
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. cap — of ice
  24. mouse — the animal

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