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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: rush · safe · prune · cap · capital · club · wound · suit

  1. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. When will it ________________ you to start?
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. He has no idea where the ________________ is.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. capital — a city
  5. suit — to fit
  6. prune — to trim
  7. club — for dancing
  8. capital — money
  9. suit — in cards
  10. club — a group
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. wound — an injury
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. wound — an injury
  15. cap — a hat
  16. cap — of ice
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. cap — a lid
  19. suit — clothes
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. prune — to trim
  22. rush — hurry
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. safe — a strongbox

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