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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: capital · prune · key · spring · land · trunk · straw · stick

  1. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. spring — the season
  3. key — the most important part
  4. land — a country
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. land — ground
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. spring — of water
  10. key — in music
  11. prune — to trim
  12. land — to come down
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. spring — a coil
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. prune — to trim
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. capital — a city
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. capital — money
  24. key — for a lock

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