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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.

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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: spell · leaves · club · prune · present · capital · last · wind

  1. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. capital — money
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. wind — moving air
  5. club — for dancing
  6. present — there
  7. spell — magic
  8. spell — a short time
  9. present — a gift
  10. capital — a city
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. last — final
  14. prune — to trim
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. wind — moving air
  17. prune — to trim
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. last — to go on
  20. present — the time now
  21. club — for golf
  22. club — a group
  23. spell — letters
  24. capital — a big letter

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