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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 120 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: branch · rest · staff · mate · pit · capital · track · trunk

  1. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. mate — a partner
  3. capital — money
  4. mate — to breed
  5. track — to keep track
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. rest — what's left
  8. capital — a city
  9. branch — a division
  10. pit — in a race
  11. staff — employees
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. pit — a hole
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. rest — a break
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. track — a path
  20. mate — a friend
  21. staff — employees
  22. rest — what's left
  23. staff — a stick
  24. track — a song

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