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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 116 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. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. bound — certain
  3. prune — to trim
  4. file — a document
  5. file — a line of people
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. court — for sport
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. fork — in a road
  11. court — of a king
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. file — a tool
  14. bound — obliged
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. court — of law
  17. prune — to trim
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. capital — a city
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. bound — tied together
  24. fork — to eat with

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