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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. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. staff — a stick
  3. staff — employees
  4. capital — a city
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. prune — to trim
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. plane — a tool
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. prune — to trim
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. lean — thin
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. capital — money
  18. staff — employees
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. cap — of ice
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. cap — a lid
  24. cap — a hat

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