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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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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: scale · safe · toast · pass · capital · pound · band · prune

  1. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. prune — to trim
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. scale — in music
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. toast — bread
  11. band — a music group
  12. prune — to trim
  13. pound — a weight
  14. toast — the most admired
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. scale — size or range
  20. pass — a permit
  21. capital — money
  22. pass — to succeed
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. band — a ring

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