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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. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. mug — to rob
  4. prune — to trim
  5. mug — a face
  6. prune — to trim
  7. mug — a cup
  8. net — for catching
  9. net — in sport
  10. firm — a company
  11. stem — to come from
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. capital — money
  14. net — after costs
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. firm — decided
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. squash — the sport
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. scale — in music
  21. scale — size or range
  22. squash — to crush
  23. firm — steady
  24. stem — of a plant

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