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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. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  16. When will it ________________ you to start?
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. prune — to trim
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. root — the cause
  5. root — of a word
  6. last — final
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. capital — money
  9. rash — a series
  10. rash — hasty
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. suit — clothes
  13. capital — a city
  14. bear — the animal
  15. suit — in cards
  16. suit — to fit
  17. root — of a plant
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. bear — the animal
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. last — to go on
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. prune — to trim
  24. last — finally

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