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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. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. ball — a great time
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. prune — to trim
  8. wake — a trail
  9. capital — money
  10. ball — a dance
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. capital — a city
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. kick — in football
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. fork — in a road

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