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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: temple · capital · kick · prune · date · bowl · wake · rest

  1. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. date — the fruit
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. prune — to trim
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. capital — a city
  13. rest — a break
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. wake — a trail
  16. rest — what's left
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. prune — to trim
  20. rest — what's left
  21. kick — in football
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. temple — a place of worship

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