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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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. capital — a city
  3. march — the month
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. march — the month
  6. prune — to trim
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. bulb — for light
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. hand — in cards
  12. bulb — for light
  13. prune — to trim
  14. rock — a stone
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. capital — money
  17. lean — thin
  18. lean — to bend
  19. march — music
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. rock — music
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. stand — on your feet
  24. stand — to bear

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