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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: trunk · deal · scale · track · face · bank · capital · spring

  1. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — in music
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. track — a song
  6. face — to point toward
  7. bank — for money
  8. bank — of a river
  9. deal — to handle
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. spring — the season
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. bank — for money
  15. face — part of the head
  16. scale — size or range
  17. track — to keep track
  18. track — a path
  19. face — to confront
  20. spring — a coil
  21. capital — money
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. capital — a city
  24. spring — of water

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