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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 116 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. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. spring — the season
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. spring — a coil
  6. spring — of water
  7. rock — a stone
  8. prune — to trim
  9. band — a ring
  10. bore — to drill
  11. rush — hurry
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. rock — music
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. prune — to trim
  20. bore — to tire
  21. band — a music group
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. capital — money
  24. bore — gave birth

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