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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: wave · capital · deal · trunk · press · cabinet · content · calf

  1. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  2. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. capital — money
  5. press — a publisher
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. press — to push
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. content — happy
  12. deal — to handle
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. press — newspapers
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. content — the amount
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  24. capital — a city

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