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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.

Make a worksheet

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: prune · perch · bore · capital · key · stem · game · coach

  1. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. perch — the fish
  3. stem — to come from
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. capital — a city
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. game — wild animals
  8. game — a match
  9. key — in music
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. prune — to trim
  14. capital — money
  15. key — the most important part
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. key — for a lock
  18. bore — to drill
  19. bore — to tire
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. prune — to trim
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. capital — a big letter

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