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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. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. key — the most important part
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. key — in music
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. prune — to trim
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. tube — the underground
  13. capital — a city
  14. bulb — for light
  15. tube — a container
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. prune — to trim
  19. bulb — for light
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. wake — a trail
  23. key — for a lock
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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