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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: mark · capital · pound · tube · prune · straw · club · dip

  1. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. dip — to sink
  6. mark — a trace
  7. prune — to trim
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. prune — to trim
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. capital — a city
  13. tube — a container
  14. pound — a weight
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. club — for golf
  18. club — a group
  19. capital — money
  20. tube — the underground
  21. mark — a grade
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. club — for dancing

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