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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.

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: cap · prune · saw · ground · rash · lie · racket · capital

  1. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. prune — to trim
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. rash — hasty
  5. saw — the tool
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. ground — a position
  8. ground — crushed
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. lie — to recline
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. cap — a hat
  13. rash — a series
  14. cap — of ice
  15. ground — the earth
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. prune — to trim
  19. saw — the tool
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. cap — a lid
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. capital — money

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