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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: lie · perch · season · cabinet · branch · game · trunk · capital

  1. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. capital — money
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. game — a match
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. lie — to recline
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. season — in sport
  16. season — of the year
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. game — wild animals
  20. perch — the fish
  21. branch — a division
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. capital — a city
  24. trunk — of a car

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