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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. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. club — for golf
  3. safe — a strongbox
  4. spring — the season
  5. capital — money
  6. fork — in a road
  7. capital — a city
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. spring — a coil
  11. prune — to trim
  12. spring — of water
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. cap — a hat
  16. club — for dancing
  17. club — a group
  18. rest — a break
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. rest — what's left
  21. cap — a lid
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. rest — what's left
  24. cap — of ice

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