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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. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. capital — a city
  4. fall — to drop
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. pop — music
  7. pop — to visit
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. capital — money
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. pop — soda
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. fall — the season
  19. fall — to drop
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. prune — to trim

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