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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. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — a strongbox
  2. board — a committee
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. board — to get on
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. spell — a short time
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. capital — a city
  9. spell — letters
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. tear — from crying
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. capital — money
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. prune — to trim
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. root — of a plant
  19. root — of a word
  20. spell — magic
  21. tear — to rip
  22. prune — to trim
  23. tear — from crying
  24. root — the cause

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