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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: file · mate · rock · snap · trunk · swing · capital · leaves

  1. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. capital — money
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. file — a line of people
  5. mate — to breed
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. rock — a stone
  10. mate — a friend
  11. swing — to play on
  12. snap — to click
  13. file — a tool
  14. swing — in golf
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. file — a document
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. swing — music
  19. rock — music
  20. mate — a partner
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. capital — a city
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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