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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: season · fork · prune · calf · wax · ground · board · capital

  1. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. board — a committee
  5. ground — the earth
  6. capital — money
  7. wax — to grow
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. capital — a city
  10. fork — in a road
  11. season — of the year
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. season — in sport
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. prune — to trim
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. ground — crushed
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. ground — a position
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. prune — to trim
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. board — to get on

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