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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. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. staff — a stick
  3. prune — to trim
  4. capital — money
  5. fine — high quality
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. staff — employees
  8. court — of law
  9. prune — to trim
  10. court — of a king
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. capital — a city
  13. tear — from crying
  14. fine — all right
  15. staff — employees
  16. safe — a strongbox
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. tear — from crying
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. court — for sport
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  24. tear — to rip

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