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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.

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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: march · capital · prune · cap · cue · arm · nail · toast

  1. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  24. My father caught me by the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. capital — money
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. capital — a city
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. cue — a signal
  7. toast — the most admired
  8. cue — a hint
  9. march — the month
  10. toast — a drink to someone
  11. march — music
  12. cap — of ice
  13. cue — for pool
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. prune — to trim
  17. prune — to trim
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. toast — bread
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. cap — a lid
  22. march — the month
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. arm — part of the body

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