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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: suit · capital · fork · cabinet · race · spring · safe · prune

  1. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  18. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. When will it ________________ you to start?
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. capital — money
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. race — humankind
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. spring — a coil
  7. prune — to trim
  8. fork — in a road
  9. race — a contest
  10. race — the arms race
  11. spring — the season
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. prune — to trim
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. suit — clothes
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. spring — of water
  21. suit — to fit
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. capital — a city
  24. suit — in cards

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