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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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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. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. prune — to trim
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. jam — a tight spot
  6. march — music
  7. lean — thin
  8. capital — a city
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. capital — money
  12. jam — in traffic
  13. prune — to trim
  14. jam — to spread on bread
  15. lean — to bend
  16. march — the month
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. march — the month

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