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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
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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: race · lean · jam · capital · bore · fine · prune · march

  1. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. race — a contest
  3. march — music
  4. fine — all right
  5. race — the arms race
  6. jam — to spread on bread
  7. bore — to drill
  8. bore — to tire
  9. capital — a city
  10. march — the month
  11. march — the month
  12. fine — high quality
  13. jam — a tight spot
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. lean — thin
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. lean — to bend
  20. prune — to trim
  21. race — humankind
  22. prune — to trim
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. jam — in traffic

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