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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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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: rest · trunk · bay · wake · lean · capital · mine · bank

  1. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. bay — to keep at bay
  4. rest — what's left
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. lean — to bend
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. lean — thin
  11. wake — a trail
  12. rest — what's left
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. capital — money
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. bank — for money
  18. bank — of a river
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. rest — a break
  21. bank — for money
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. capital — a city
  24. mine — belonging to me

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