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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. There's no middle ________________.
  2. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. bear — the animal
  3. capital — money
  4. bound — obliged
  5. current — electric
  6. rash — hasty
  7. prune — to trim
  8. ground — crushed
  9. bear — the animal
  10. capital — a city
  11. ground — the earth
  12. bound — certain
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. current — happening now
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. prune — to trim
  17. bound — tied together
  18. current — of water
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. rash — a series
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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