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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: mark · capital · game · club · plane · object · prune · cap

  1. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. object — an aim
  2. mark — a grade
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. cap — of ice
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. object — a thing
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. club — a group
  9. plane — a tool
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. prune — to trim
  12. capital — money
  13. club — for golf
  14. capital — a city
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. mark — a trace
  17. game — a match
  18. cap — a hat
  19. club — for dancing
  20. game — wild animals
  21. object — to protest
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. prune — to trim
  24. cap — a lid

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