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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 120 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 · leaves · nail · chair · squash · trunk · ruler · fall

  1. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. capital — money
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. chair — a leader
  7. fall — the season
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. capital — a city
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. squash — the sport
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. fall — to drop
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. ruler — a monarch
  24. squash — to crush

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