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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: deal · mouse · file · capital · fan · trunk · staff · last

  1. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. last — finally
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. capital — a city
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. file — a tool
  7. staff — a stick
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. file — a document
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. last — to go on
  12. staff — employees
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. file — a line of people
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. staff — employees
  18. capital — money
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. last — final
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. deal — to handle
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. fan — a supporter

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