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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. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  9. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. cell — in biology
  3. tube — the underground
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. prune — to trim
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. firm — a company
  9. firm — decided
  10. capital — a city
  11. capital — money
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. mate — to breed
  14. perch — the fish
  15. cell — a phone
  16. mate — a partner
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. tube — a container
  19. prune — to trim
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. mate — a friend
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. firm — steady

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