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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. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. prune — to trim
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. court — of a king
  6. court — of law
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. field — for sport
  11. prune — to trim
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. field — a subject
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. capital — a city
  17. field — farmland
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. bulb — for light
  20. bulb — for light
  21. court — for sport
  22. safe — a strongbox
  23. capital — money
  24. trunk — of a car

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