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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. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. capital — money
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. tear — from crying
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. tear — from crying
  7. lean — thin
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. swing — in golf
  10. lean — to bend
  11. prune — to trim
  12. capital — a city
  13. root — the cause
  14. swing — music
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. tear — to rip
  18. root — of a plant
  19. stock — shares
  20. root — of a word
  21. prune — to trim
  22. swing — to play on
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. stock — goods

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