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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: pound · capital · sharp · racket · rush · scale · prune · arm

  1. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. rush — hurry
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. prune — to trim
  6. capital — money
  7. scale — size or range
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. capital — a city
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. sharp — clever
  16. prune — to trim
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. pound — a weight
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. scale — in music
  24. arm — part of the body

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