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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 120 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: capital · wave · rock · prune · swing · ground · pitch · key

  1. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. ground — crushed
  4. key — the most important part
  5. ground — a position
  6. key — for a lock
  7. key — in music
  8. ground — the earth
  9. prune — to trim
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. swing — to play on
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. prune — to trim
  14. rock — music
  15. swing — music
  16. capital — money
  17. capital — a city
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. swing — in golf
  22. rock — a stone
  23. pitch — completely
  24. wave — a sudden rise

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