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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. capital — money
  3. bulb — for light
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. chest — of your body
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. track — a path
  9. stand — to bear
  10. track — a song
  11. bulb — for light
  12. prune — to trim
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. track — to keep track
  15. capital — a city
  16. chest — a box
  17. prune — to trim
  18. stand — for spectators

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