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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: track · can · trunk · capital · patient · dip · key · mate

  1. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. dip — to sink
  4. track — a path
  5. capital — money
  6. mate — to breed
  7. mate — a partner
  8. mate — a friend
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. can — a tin
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. key — for a lock
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. key — the most important part
  15. capital — a city
  16. can — a tin
  17. track — a song
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. key — in music
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. track — to keep track

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