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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: key · rest · prune · mine · capital · lean · charge · degree

  1. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. lean — thin
  3. charge — a price
  4. degree — an amount
  5. lean — to bend
  6. key — for a lock
  7. capital — a city
  8. charge — in control
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. capital — money
  11. key — in music
  12. prune — to trim
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. degree — from a university
  15. mine — for digging
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. charge — electricity
  18. rest — a break
  19. rest — what's left
  20. prune — to trim
  21. rest — what's left
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. key — the most important part
  24. prune — the fruit

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