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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 second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. My father caught me by the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. branch — a division
  5. prune — to trim
  6. prune — to trim
  7. bear — the animal
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. toast — a drink to someone
  10. capital — a city
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. toast — the most admired
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. toast — bread
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. bear — the animal
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. snap — to click
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. bat — the animal
  24. arm — part of the body

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