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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. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. When was this ________________ built?
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. net — for catching
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. prune — to trim
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. scale — in music
  8. prune — to trim
  9. scale — size or range
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. mate — to breed
  12. mate — a friend
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. net — after costs
  16. vault — a safe
  17. net — in sport
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. branch — a division
  20. capital — a city
  21. mate — a partner
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. capital — money
  24. prune — the fruit

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