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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: arm · prune · capital · toast · court · mate · calf · spring

  1. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. mate — a friend
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. toast — the most admired
  6. spring — of water
  7. court — for sport
  8. court — of a king
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. mate — to breed
  12. toast — a drink to someone
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. court — of law
  16. toast — bread
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. capital — a city
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. prune — to trim
  21. prune — to trim
  22. spring — a coil
  23. mate — a partner
  24. spring — the season

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