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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. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. capital — a city
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. capital — money
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. kid — to tease
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. rush — hurry
  10. spell — a short time
  11. rock — music
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. kid — child
  15. rock — a stone
  16. stock — shares
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. spell — letters
  20. spell — magic
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. prune — to trim
  23. prune — to trim
  24. stock — goods

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