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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: capital · field · ball · cabinet · trunk · date · bear · pound

  1. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. pound — a weight
  4. capital — a city
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. field — for sport
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. field — farmland
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. date — the fruit
  16. bear — the animal
  17. bear — the animal
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. ball — a great time
  23. field — a subject
  24. ball — a dance

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