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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. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. prune — to trim
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. lean — thin
  5. lean — to bend
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. rule — a law
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. snap — to click
  11. dip — to sink
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. prune — to trim
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. rule — government
  21. capital — a city
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. mouse — the animal

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