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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 120 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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. prune — to trim
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. chip — for betting
  5. mug — to rob
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. branch — a division
  9. cap — a hat
  10. prune — to trim
  11. firm — decided
  12. cap — of ice
  13. mug — a face
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. cap — a lid
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. mug — a cup
  19. chip — to eat
  20. capital — money
  21. firm — a company
  22. capital — a city
  23. firm — steady
  24. mine — for digging

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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