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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. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. rock — music
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. chair — a leader
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. rock — a stone
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. land — ground
  12. dip — to sink
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. wound — an injury
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. capital — a city
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. capital — money
  21. land — a country
  22. prune — to trim
  23. land — to come down
  24. prune — to trim

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