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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 124 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 cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. wound — an injury
  3. prune — to trim
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. capital — a city
  6. pit — a hole
  7. drill — army training
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. pit — in a race
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. capital — money
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. drill — the tool
  14. board — a committee
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. drill — a practice
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. wound — an injury
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. date — the fruit
  24. board — to get on

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