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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 beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. branch — a division
  4. pass — a permit
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. fork — in a road
  8. fine — all right
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. mate — to breed
  11. capital — a city
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. mate — a friend
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. prune — to trim
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. fine — high quality
  18. mate — a partner
  19. capital — money
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. prune — to trim
  24. leaves — of a tree

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