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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 function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. press — newspapers
  3. pop — to visit
  4. capital — a city
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. spell — letters
  7. press — to push
  8. press — a publisher
  9. land — to come down
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. land — ground
  12. prune — to trim
  13. lean — to bend
  14. pop — music
  15. pop — soda
  16. prune — to trim
  17. spell — a short time
  18. board — to get on
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. spell — magic
  22. land — a country
  23. board — a committee
  24. lean — thin

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