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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: capital · jam · foot · wave · date · chair · prune · mark

  1. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  24. Would you like some apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. capital — a city
  3. foot — the bottom
  4. capital — money
  5. chair — a leader
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. jam — in traffic
  8. date — the fruit
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. prune — to trim
  14. mark — a trace
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. mark — a grade
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. prune — to trim
  21. jam — a tight spot
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. wave — of the sea
  24. jam — to spread on bread

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