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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 116 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: prune · hand · capital · trunk · file · mark · cap · bank

  1. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. file — a tool
  3. capital — a city
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. bank — for money
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. bank — for money
  9. cap — of ice
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. cap — a lid
  12. hand — in cards
  13. mark — a grade
  14. prune — to trim
  15. mark — a trace
  16. file — a document
  17. file — a line of people
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. cap — a hat
  20. prune — to trim
  21. hand — help
  22. bank — of a river
  23. capital — money
  24. trunk — of a car

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