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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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: key · kick · capital · trunk · face · march · branch · spell

  1. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. spell — letters
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. capital — a city
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. branch — a division
  8. spell — magic
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. march — the month
  11. march — the month
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. march — music
  15. face — to point toward
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. capital — money
  18. key — in music
  19. key — for a lock
  20. face — to confront
  21. spell — a short time
  22. kick — in football
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. key — the most important part

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