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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: leaves · hide · staff · trunk · track · capital · kid · hand

  1. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. kid — to tease
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. staff — employees
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. staff — a stick
  8. hand — help
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. track — a path
  15. hand — in cards
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. staff — employees
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. capital — money
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. kid — child
  22. capital — a city
  23. track — to keep track
  24. trunk — of a tree

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