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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.

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: degree · hand · cabinet · capital · patient · foot · prune · stem

  1. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. capital — a city
  3. capital — money
  4. hand — in cards
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. prune — to trim
  7. prune — to trim
  8. degree — from a university
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. hand — help
  13. foot — a measure
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. degree — an amount
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. degree — temperature
  23. stem — to come from
  24. hand — 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