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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 120 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 newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — the bottom
  2. capital — a city
  3. prune — to trim
  4. ruler — a monarch
  5. prune — to trim
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. stem — to come from
  8. foot — a measure
  9. squash — the sport
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. scale — size or range
  12. capital — money
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. ball — a dance
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. scale — in music
  18. ball — a great time
  19. squash — to crush
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. foot — part of the body
  24. ball — a round shape

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