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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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. capital — a city
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. capital — money
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. rush — hurry
  7. prune — to trim
  8. scale — size or range
  9. prune — to trim
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. scale — in music
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. plane — a tool
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. clip — a video
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. perch — the fish
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. clip — for paper
  23. clip — to cut
  24. plane — an aircraft

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