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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. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. mate — to breed
  3. prune — to trim
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. land — a country
  6. wound — an injury
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. court — of law
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. capital — money
  12. prune — to trim
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. wound — an injury
  15. court — for sport
  16. safe — a strongbox
  17. land — ground
  18. court — of a king
  19. mate — a partner
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. capital — a city
  22. mate — a friend
  23. land — to come down
  24. straw — a straw man

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