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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. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. hand — help
  6. hand — in cards
  7. wind — moving air
  8. capital — a city
  9. branch — a division
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. prune — to trim
  14. capital — money
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. wind — moving air
  18. prune — to trim
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. lie — to recline
  21. bulb — for light
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. bulb — for light

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