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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. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. row — a line
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. capital — a city
  5. prune — to trim
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. prune — to trim
  11. club — for dancing
  12. capital — money
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. rest — what's left
  15. row — to paddle
  16. rest — what's left
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. club — a group
  19. rest — a break
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. bound — certain
  22. bound — tied together
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. bound — obliged

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