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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. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  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. cell — in biology
  2. capital — a city
  3. firm — a company
  4. prune — to trim
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. bear — the animal
  9. prune — to trim
  10. firm — decided
  11. can — a tin
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. cell — a phone
  14. firm — steady
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. date — the fruit
  18. capital — money
  19. can — to be able to
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. can — a tin
  23. bear — the animal
  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