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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: mark · trunk · land · mouse · capital · chair · roll · face

  1. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. chair — a leader
  4. face — to point toward
  5. mark — a grade
  6. capital — money
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. land — ground
  11. capital — a city
  12. land — to come down
  13. roll — a list
  14. land — a country
  15. face — part of the head
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. roll — a cake
  18. face — to confront
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. mark — a trace
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. mouse — the animal

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