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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. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. fork — in a road
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. capital — money
  7. prune — to trim
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. prune — to trim
  10. scale — in music
  11. wind — moving air
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. capital — a city
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. last — final
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. march — the month
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. last — finally
  20. scale — size or range
  21. last — to go on
  22. march — music
  23. wind — moving air
  24. march — the month

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