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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. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. prune — to trim
  3. snap — to click
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. stand — to bear
  6. net — after costs
  7. net — for catching
  8. net — in sport
  9. capital — money
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. object — a thing
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. stem — to come from
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. object — an aim
  20. object — to protest
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. prune — to trim

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