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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. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. capital — a city
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. key — in music
  6. key — the most important part
  7. capital — money
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. face — part of the head
  11. board — to get on
  12. bore — to tire
  13. bore — to drill
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. prune — to trim
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. board — a committee
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. face — to confront
  20. key — for a lock
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. face — to point toward

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