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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. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  8. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. bear — the animal
  3. bear — the animal
  4. wound — an injury
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. bank — of a river
  8. bay — to keep at bay
  9. prune — to trim
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. bank — for money
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. dip — to sink
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. bank — for money
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. wound — an injury
  21. capital — money
  22. prune — to trim
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. dip — to dunk

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