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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. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. My mare is ________________ in color.
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. band — a music group
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. wave — of the sea
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. capital — a city
  8. tube — a container
  9. band — a ring
  10. last — to go on
  11. capital — money
  12. tube — the underground
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. prune — to trim
  19. last — final
  20. bay — a horse colour
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. prune — to trim
  23. last — finally
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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