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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: capital · straw · spell · trunk · perch · coach · firm · object

  1. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. firm — steady
  3. spell — a short time
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. capital — money
  6. firm — decided
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. spell — letters
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. capital — a city
  14. spell — magic
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. object — to protest
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. object — a thing
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. firm — a company
  22. object — an aim
  23. perch — the fish
  24. perch — for a bird

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