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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. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. prune — to trim
  3. capital — a city
  4. hand — in cards
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. content — happy
  9. content — the amount
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. capital — money
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. prune — to trim
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. hand — help
  23. lie — to recline
  24. fan — a supporter

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