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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. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. charge — in control
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. prune — to trim
  6. capital — money
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. charge — a price
  10. charge — electricity
  11. row — to paddle
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. band — a music group
  15. band — a ring
  16. capital — a city
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. row — a line
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. cap — a lid
  21. safe — a strongbox
  22. cap — of ice
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. cap — a hat

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