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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: capital · prune · sharp · safe · kick · field

  1. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. field — for sport
  6. prune — to trim
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. prune — to trim
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. field — a subject
  12. safe — a strongbox
  13. capital — a city
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. capital — money
  16. kick — in football
  17. field — farmland
  18. sharp — clever

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