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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. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. kid — child
  3. bank — of a river
  4. wake — a trail
  5. rock — music
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. prune — to trim
  9. capital — a city
  10. rock — a stone
  11. wound — an injury
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. wound — an injury
  15. bank — for money
  16. capital — money
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. kid — to tease
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. bank — for money

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