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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: kid · capital · pop · bulb · prune · rest · saw · cabinet

  1. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. pop — to visit
  3. kid — child
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. capital — money
  6. rest — what's left
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. bulb — for light
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. kid — to tease
  13. bulb — for light
  14. saw — the tool
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. prune — to trim
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. rest — a break
  19. capital — a city
  20. rest — what's left
  21. pop — soda
  22. pop — music
  23. prune — to trim
  24. cabinet — ministers

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