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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: leaves · capital · fall · prune · fork · arm · fan · suit

  1. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. When will it ________________ you to start?
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  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. fall — to drop
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. prune — to trim
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. fall — to drop
  9. prune — to trim
  10. suit — to fit
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. suit — clothes
  14. capital — money
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. suit — in cards
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. capital — a city
  21. fall — the season
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. fork — in a road
  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