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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: capital · rash · racket · last · prune · cell · mark · plane

  1. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. last — finally
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. rash — hasty
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. mark — a grade
  13. prune — to trim
  14. capital — a city
  15. rash — a series
  16. last — final
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. last — to go on
  19. cell — a phone
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. prune — to trim
  22. plane — a tool
  23. mark — a trace
  24. cell — in biology

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