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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: capital · date · bass · trunk · calf · fan · scale · wound

  1. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. date — the fruit
  2. wound — an injury
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. bass — the fish
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. scale — size or range
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. capital — a city
  16. scale — in music
  17. capital — money
  18. wound — an injury
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. bass — low music
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. calf — a young animal

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