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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.

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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: club · pound · fall · can · lean · dip · prune · capital

  1. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. capital — a city
  4. pound — a weight
  5. lean — thin
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. dip — to sink
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. club — for dancing
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. prune — to trim
  13. fall — to drop
  14. can — a tin
  15. club — a group
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. capital — money
  19. can — to be able to
  20. fall — to drop
  21. lean — to bend
  22. can — a tin
  23. fall — the season
  24. club — for golf

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