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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: trunk · key · swing · bank · net · scale · capital · mine

  1. David sat on the ________________.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. scale — in music
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. capital — money
  5. net — for catching
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. net — after costs
  9. key — for a lock
  10. bank — for money
  11. net — in sport
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. bank — of a river
  14. swing — music
  15. swing — in golf
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. capital — a city
  18. scale — size or range
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. mine — for digging
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. key — in music
  23. key — the most important part
  24. bank — for 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