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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: prune · chip · capital · hand · chair · wake · lean · rock

  1. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. rock — a stone
  3. lean — thin
  4. chair — a leader
  5. hand — in cards
  6. capital — a city
  7. capital — money
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. chip — for betting
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. wake — a trail
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. prune — to trim
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. lean — to bend
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. chip — to eat
  20. hand — help
  21. rock — music
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. chip — in a computer

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