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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: wax · pit · pound · bear · capital · trunk · track · branch

  1. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. capital — a city
  3. track — to keep track
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. pit — in a race
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. bear — the animal
  9. wax — to grow
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. pound — a weight
  12. pit — a hole
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. bear — the animal
  15. capital — money
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. track — a path
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. branch — a division
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. track — a song
  24. trunk — of a car

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