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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: rush · spring · capital · nail · roll · bear · pit · prune

  1. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. spring — the season
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. prune — to trim
  5. spring — a coil
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. capital — money
  9. spring — of water
  10. bear — the animal
  11. rush — hurry
  12. bear — the animal
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. roll — a list
  16. prune — to trim
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. roll — a cake
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. pit — in a race
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. capital — a city

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