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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: prune · rock · safe · capital · shower · saw · wind · pitcher

  1. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. saw — the tool
  4. rock — music
  5. saw — the tool
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. rock — a stone
  8. wind — moving air
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. prune — to trim
  12. capital — money
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. prune — to trim
  15. shower — to wash
  16. shower — rain
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. safe — a strongbox
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. capital — a city

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