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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: lean · staff · capital · fan · can · toast · trunk · fine

  1. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. lean — thin
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. toast — bread
  5. lean — to bend
  6. toast — the most admired
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. fine — high quality
  11. can — a tin
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. toast — a drink to someone
  15. can — to be able to
  16. staff — employees
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. can — a tin
  19. capital — a city
  20. capital — money
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. staff — employees
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. staff — a stick

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