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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 · fall · prune · row · firm · wave · arm · capital

  1. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. firm — decided
  5. fall — the season
  6. fall — to drop
  7. firm — steady
  8. capital — money
  9. spell — letters
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. row — a line
  12. row — to paddle
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. fall — to drop
  18. prune — to trim
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. spell — magic
  21. prune — to trim
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. firm — a company
  24. spell — a short time

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