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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: toast · spell · straw · season · kid · ruler · capital · trunk

  1. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. spell — letters
  4. capital — a city
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. spell — a short time
  8. toast — bread
  9. season — in sport
  10. toast — the most admired
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. kid — child
  13. kid — to tease
  14. capital — money
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. ruler — a monarch
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. season — of the year
  22. toast — a drink to someone
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. spell — magic

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