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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. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. When will it ________________ you to start?
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. capital — a city
  6. capital — money
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. game — a match
  12. suit — in cards
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. suit — to fit
  15. prune — to trim
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. suit — clothes
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. branch — a division
  21. tube — the underground
  22. lie — to recline
  23. tube — a container
  24. prune — to trim

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