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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 116 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: spring · mug · nail · pit · lean · object · capital · prune

  1. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  5. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. pit — in a race
  3. pit — a hole
  4. object — an aim
  5. object — a thing
  6. mug — to rob
  7. capital — money
  8. lean — thin
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. spring — a coil
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. mug — a cup
  16. prune — to trim
  17. spring — of water
  18. lean — to bend
  19. prune — to trim
  20. mug — a face
  21. capital — a city
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. capital — a big letter
  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