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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
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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: prune · toast · capital · spring · ruler · wake · can · scale

  1. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  20. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  21. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  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. wake — before a funeral
  2. toast — bread
  3. prune — to trim
  4. prune — to trim
  5. wake — a trail
  6. can — a tin
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. spring — of water
  9. scale — size or range
  10. capital — a city
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. spring — the season
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. can — to be able to
  15. scale — in music
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. ruler — a monarch
  18. can — a tin
  19. toast — a drink to someone
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. toast — the most admired
  22. capital — money
  23. spring — a coil
  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