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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 second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. stand — to bear
  3. capital — a city
  4. cue — for pool
  5. cue — a signal
  6. prune — to trim
  7. deal — to handle
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. track — a song
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. prune — to trim
  14. branch — a division
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. rash — hasty
  17. cue — a hint
  18. track — a path
  19. rash — a series
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. track — to keep track

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