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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. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. prune — to trim
  3. mug — a cup
  4. prune — to trim
  5. mug — a face
  6. rash — hasty
  7. wound — an injury
  8. rash — a series
  9. rule — government
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. rule — a law
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. wound — an injury
  14. roll — a list
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. roll — a cake
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. mug — to rob
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. capital — money
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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