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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: arm · wound · bowl · pitcher · drill · cap · capital · trunk

  1. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — a part of something
  2. drill — a practice
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. cap — a lid
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. cap — of ice
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. drill — the tool
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. wound — an injury
  19. cap — a hat
  20. capital — a city
  21. wound — an injury
  22. drill — army training
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. capital — money

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