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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: arm · suit · press · current · capital · land · snap · prune

  1. When are we going to ________________?
  2. When will it ________________ you to start?
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. suit — to fit
  3. snap — to click
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. suit — in cards
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. press — a publisher
  8. current — electric
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. current — of water
  12. land — ground
  13. press — newspapers
  14. capital — a city
  15. land — a country
  16. press — to push
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. current — happening now
  20. suit — clothes
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. prune — to trim
  23. prune — to trim
  24. capital — money

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