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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 116 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: capital · straw · row · calf · trunk · branch · fork · dip

  1. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. row — a line
  9. row — to paddle
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. fork — in a road
  15. branch — a division
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. capital — a city
  19. capital — money
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. dip — to sink

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