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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: mark · safe · bulb · mine · prune · capital · cabinet · shower

  1. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. mark — a trace
  3. mine — for digging
  4. prune — to trim
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. safe — a strongbox
  7. bulb — for light
  8. shower — to wash
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. prune — to trim
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. bulb — for light
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. shower — rain
  19. capital — money
  20. mark — a grade
  21. capital — a city
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. bulb — of a plant

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