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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 · swing · stand · capital · pass · can · sharp · tube

  1. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. swing — to play on
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. swing — music
  9. swing — in golf
  10. stand — to bear
  11. can — a tin
  12. capital — money
  13. tube — the underground
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. tube — a container
  16. pass — a permit
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. sharp — clever
  19. capital — a city
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. can — a tin
  24. can — to be able to

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