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

Word bank: capital · prune · present · racket · patient · rest

  1. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. capital — a city
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. prune — to trim
  6. rest — what's left
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. present — a gift
  10. prune — to trim
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. rest — what's left
  13. capital — money
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. rest — a break
  16. present — the time now
  17. present — there
  18. racket — for tennis

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