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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: trunk · bark · snap · capital · jam · date · scale · prune

  1. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  14. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  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. trunk — of a tree
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. capital — money
  4. jam — a tight spot
  5. bark — to shout
  6. scale — in music
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. prune — to trim
  11. scale — size or range
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. jam — in traffic
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. capital — a city
  17. prune — to trim
  18. jam — to spread on bread
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. snap — to click
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. date — the fruit
  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