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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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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: swing · temple · firm · object · plane · capital · rest · prune

  1. David sat on the ________________.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. object — to protest
  3. rest — a break
  4. object — an aim
  5. swing — music
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. firm — a company
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. rest — what's left
  13. prune — to trim
  14. firm — steady
  15. capital — money
  16. swing — in golf
  17. firm — decided
  18. plane — a tool
  19. prune — to trim
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. rest — what's left
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. capital — a city
  24. object — a thing

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